


What Happens After Goodnight

by rebalabroo



Category: Rookie Blue
Genre: F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2018-02-14 01:34:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 230,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2173020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebalabroo/pseuds/rebalabroo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A version of what could happen after Holly said 'Goodnight' to Gail at the end of 5.07. Femslash. Gail/Holly. Will add to it if there's interest. My first fic on here</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Disclaimer - I do not own these characters or make any money from writing with them.

After Holly left Gail in the corridor holding the evidence bag containing the thumb, the blonde brushed off the few tears that had appeared as she watched Holly walk away from her this time. She hated seeing the pain in the brunettes face as she said goodnight. She didn't feel she had the right to reach out and comfort her so she had let her leave. She sighed and went back to what little work she had left for today.

Once her shift was done she had headed to the Penny alone, she had planned to drink herself to oblivion, but as with many of her plans, it didn't happen. She had one shot of tequila on arrival and nursed one beer for the rest of the night. She spent the night going over her actions the last night she had been here with Holly and what she had done when it came to the brunette since then. That night and maybe for even a day or two after, Gail figured she had every right to be angry, but after that it became something else, it became about her usual insecurities, not being good enough, not being in the doctors league, not being ready to face what they really had together, it became an out and one, for reasons that right now for the life of her she couldn't remember, she had taken. Life was short, Sophie's situation and Jerry's death had taught her that, it had just taken her a while to actually learn the lesson. After a few hours she drained the now warm beer and headed out of the bar.

Once home, she quickly showered and headed to bed, not wanting to deal with what ever had been going on with Dov and Chris during the course of the day. When she was settled, she picked up her cell phone, scrolled through the contacts until she came to Holly's number. She held her finger over the call button, a while ago a call even at this hour would have been welcomed, especially once they're relationship had grown, just the sound of Holly's voice had been enough to keep her night time demons away. She didn't have many nightmares anymore but when she did the brunette, even if she had been woken by the call, would happily talk her back to sleep. Gail smiled at the memory. She brushed her finger over Holly's name, as she did the phone vibrated in her hand indicating a new text message, it was from the brunette currently crowding her thoughts. Nervously she opened it.

There were 4 words Did you mean it?

The blonde frowned and answered Which part?

There was about a minute delay before That I was the most wonderful person you've ever met?

Gail didn't stop to think she just answered honestly I meant every word I said

When Holly didn't respond right away, the blonde put the phone on the pillow next to her waiting to see if there would be any more from the other woman, after about 10 minutes Gail moved the phone to the bedside table figuring the brunette had stopped talking for now. She rolled onto her back and sighed, then suddenly realised something, Holly, after basically dismissing her at the Morgue had taken the time to personally return the thumb to her, when an intern could have bought it over or she could have left it with Traci or anyone else at 15 and then at 1 in the morning had text her to get clarification about the conversation that had taken place between them. The fact that she had contacted her about their conversation meant she had heard what Gail had said. Was this Holly's subtle way of telling her that she was open to the possibly of making up, of trying again? Maybe giving her a chance to prove that she no longer wants to run and is willing to fight to get the doctor back? The blonde couldn't help but smile to herself, it had taken weeks of turmoil and stupidity on her part but Gail finally knew what she wanted and she was going to to everything she could think of to try and get it.

"Hey Rodney" Holly said when walked into the morgue the next morning "Did that floater arrive yet?"

"Not yet but something else did it's in your office" he said and went to make a call about the body before Dr Stewart asked again.

Holly frowned and headed to her office, she saw what he meant the second she entered, there was a big bunch of lilies in a vase sitting on her desk. She smiled to herself, technically they had only had two dates but Sarah was nice and obviously liked her, even if the brunette had said she wasn't ready for anything more than something casual. When she picked up the card and read it the smile changed to a frown Do you remember what lilies mean? G oxox. She knew Gail was referring to the lily reference in 'imagine me and you' it had been the first lesbian movie they had watched after their relationship had changed. Part of her wanted to jump for joy that the woman who had stolen her heart was back and wanting to reconcile but the other part, the part that remembers the devastation at the complete silence from the blonde over weeks wanted to dump them in the trash. Holly decided to leave the flowers there and not respond to Gail and get on with her day.

At 1pm, when Holly was just about to leave to get some lunch, there was a knock on her office door "Come in" she said still getting her things together.

It was the young Chinese delivery boy from her favourite Thai place "I have a delivery for Dr Stewart"

"That's me but I didn't order anything?" She said as he walked over and put the bowl down on her desk.

"The order comes with this" he said, he handed her the note and left.

She knew who it was from before opening it I got your favourite soup, I know you sometimes forget to have lunch when you get your nerd on, enjoy G oxox. This time Holly let herself smile, she did like the soup and now she didn't have to go out and waste time, she pocketed the note and opened the soup.

The next thing came when she got home, as she walked up the front steps of her house there was a bottle of her favourite wine and a single long stemmed rose. Holly picked up the rose and sniffed it, it smelt beautiful. She grabbed the wine, it was chilled and had a little card hanging from the neck and went inside. She dumped her things on the kitchen bench and went looking for a bottle opener. Just when she found it, there was a knock at the door. She put it with the bottle, wondering and maybe hoping it was Gail, but also terrified it was her as she wasn't sure she was ready to face her again so soon. Her fears and hopes were dashed when she saw a smiling Sarah at the door "Hey" she said to the small blonde in front of her.

"Hey, I was in the neighbourhood and I was wondering if you wanted to get a drink" she asked.

Holly smiled back "Sure, I've only just got in but if you give me a few minutes I'll change and we can go" she led the blonde into the lounge room and headed upstairs to change. She figured it didn't hurt to get some space between herself and her feelings for Gail. She quickly changed and went back downstairs when she hit the bottom step, she noticed Sarah was no longer in the lounge room she was in the kitchen, looking at the card hanging off the bottle.

"Who is G?" The blonde asked looking at Holly not angry just curious.

The brunette looked at her feet "Gail"

"As in Gail, the one who Rachel told me about before she introduced us, that broke your heart, the reason you don't want anything more than casual, that Gail" Sarah still didn't sound mad.

"Yea, I'm sorry" Holly said blushing.

"Please don't be sorry, I knew going into this we weren't going to become anything, Rachel told me and you were very upfront with me, I just didn't realise she was still around" she let the note go.

"She wasn't, I saw her yesterday and we sort of talked and I guess I... well she.." Holly trailed off.

Sarah came around the other side of the bench with the brunette "'Look I get it, somewhere in the conversation yesterday, you gave her the impression you're open to reconnecting right?"

Holly nodded.

"There's nothing wrong with that" she said, she took both of Holly's hands in hers "just make sure your ready ok."

The brunette smirked at the woman in front of her "That will teach me for agreeing to date a therapist"

"Well maybe we can be friends, we just won't tell Gail we went out" Sarah said "The idea of having a jealous police woman out for my blood scares the life out of me for some reason" she dropped Holly's hands and kissed her cheek "I think I'll leave you to it, enjoy the wine"

"You sure you don't want a glass?" the brunette offered.

"No trust me that's yours, we'll go for a totally plutonic drink next week sometime, good luck with your policewoman and remember I'm here if you need someone to talk to"

"Thanks" doctor said and let the blonde out.

Holly went back to the kitchen and made a beeline for the bottle she pulled the card off and read it We drank this one after our first night together, I'll never forget it, it was like finally finding the place where I belonged, wrapped in your arms. Enjoy this bottle on me. G oxox

Holly smirked, no wonder Sarah had reacted the way she had, situation reversed, she would have admitted defeat and left too. It had been one day and Gail was making it near impossible not to contact her and fall back into each other. But the brunette was determined to make the blonde at least fight for them a little, after the weeks of silence Holly endured, Gail deserved a taste of her own medicine. Part of the brunette felt bad for doing it but she needed the blonde to understand that she can't just waltz back in, she needed to earn it. Holly opened the bottle of wine, grabbed a glass and headed upstairs to relax in a hot bath.

It had been almost a week since Gail had heard from Holly, she knew she was getting her gifts, meals and notes. The evening gifts were hand delivered and she checked with every delivery person to ensure she got them. It was Friday afternoon and she was sitting at her desk finishing off a report for a drunk and disorderly she had arrested on patrol. She had just gotten a call from shop that the present she got Holly had been received and the note hand delivered. She sat back and smiled to herself, the silence from the brunette was frustrating but she was enjoying showering her in gifts, it's something she had never done, it had always been given to her, she had never given like this in relationships and she has decided she likes it, even if Holly called her right now and they patched things up, Gail would continue to buy her things, to show her how much she means to her and just because she enjoys doing it.

"Peck" Sam called out bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Yep" she answered standing.

"I got a Homicide, Nash is busy, you interested?"

"Sure" she said grabbing her bag, her gear and following.

"What have we got?" Sam said to Holly, who was already leaning over the victim.

"As you can see he has multiple gunshot wounds, and the amount of blood that's pooled here I would say he was killed here" they were in an old warehouse down on the docks.

"Execution?" Sam asked.

Holly shrugged "I'll know more once I get the trajectories but it's pretty messy, it could just be a random shooting" she offered.

"Peck" he called. Holly looked up to see Gail coming over, well sauntering over as she often did in uniform. The brunette looked down not wanting the blonde to see her looking.

"Yes sir" she asked as she smiled down at the back of Holly's head.

"Any observations?" He asked

"Well the actually injuries on the body are random so not a professional hit, but the location suggests he was lured here so maybe gang or drug related"

"Well done" he said "I'm gonna call guns and gangs see if their interested, can you stay with Dr Stewart and take down any observations until I'm done?" Sam walked away, phone to his ear.

There was a silence between the two women for a minute till Holly broke it "So, you running low on funds yet?"

Gail smirked "Not at all" she said nonchalantly.

The brunette knelt down next to the body "I would say this guys been dead about 24 hours according to his liver temp" she said pulling the thermometer out and putting it back in what Gail called her lunchbox "I know for a fact that bottle of bourbon you left last night is worth over $200 as was the champagne the night before" she added as she moved the victims clothes to examine the wounds.

"Do I need to note that down?" Gail asked as she noted the possible time of death.

Holly looked up at her and saw the blondes genuine smile, this morning, the brunette had no intention of calling or contacting Gail at least until after the weekend, to give herself sometime to prepare but that smile with nothing but love and caring behind it proved to be her undoing "No" she said then stood "I'll need to get him on the table before I can tell you anymore"

Gail nodded "I'll let Detective Swarek know" she said closing her notebook.

"What time do you get off shift?" Holly asked as she pulled her gloves off.

Butterflies jumped in Gail's stomach at the question, she had expected the brunette to leave and continue radio silence for a while longer "6" the blonde said.

"Do you wanna meet me a my place about 7, I think it's time I listened to your explanation" Holly said finally giving in.

Gail smiled hugely "Sure, I'll grab some dinner, what would you like?"

"I'll cook" the doctor suggested "Grab some dessert if you feel the need"

"Sure" Gail said adjusting her belt a little "Are you sure your ready?" She asked "I don't want you to feel pressured, I'm happy just knowing that your even considering it"

Holly reached out gripped the front of her belt "I am, plus I can't have you going broke, you kinda owe me a few dates don't you think"

Gail's brilliant grin returned "Yes ma'am"

She kissed the blonde on the cheek then released her "I need to get to the lab" she said and picked up her bag.

"Ok" Gail said still smiling, she noticed Sam was coming back "Enjoy your lunch" she added with a smirk.

"Where's it from?" Holly asked.

"Your favourite Italian place" the blonde said.

"I can't wait" she said "See you tonight Officer Peck"

"See you then, Dr Stewart"

Sam smiled at Gail as he past Holly "You two finally back on track?" He asked.

The blonde nodded as she watched the retreating form of the Forensic Pathologist "I really hope so"

0-0-0-0-0-0


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer - I do not own these characters or make any money from writing with them.

Chapter Two

Gail walked into the locker room, right on 6 and started packing her gear, not bothering to change, wanting to get home and get ready to go see Holly. Traci came up behind her "Are you coming to the Penny tonight, it's Dex's weekend with Leo?" she said opening her locker.

"No, I have plans" Gail said as she zipped up her bag and closed her locker.

Traci frowned, the blonde had been massively anti social since the fight with Holly, she'd only gone to the Penny a handful of times and that had been under duress from Traci and Steve. They didn't want her to stay home, wallow and drink herself into oblivion, then after the shooting of the woman in the laundry with the little girl, Gail had been pretty much avoiding everyone. And started buying things, it had been strange, she had bought a lot of stuff she didn't need the only decent, semi necessary purchase had been the brand new SVU out in the parking lot, once she had secured the loan all the spending had stopped.

"Who with?" The detective asked.

Gail just smiled, she hadn't told anyone at 15 about what was happening with Holly, Sam only knew because he was there this morning. Gail didn't wanna jinx it so she left Traci with a quick good night and a promise of a drink after the weekend to discuss how her mysterious plans went.

0000000000

Gail headed into the apartment she shared with Chris and Dov, all was quiet so she quickly grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom. Once she was showered and dressed she walked out of the bathroom and almost straight into Dov "We need to talk"

"No no no, not tonight" she said pushing Dov backwards and out of her way "You and Chris have been all funny and secretive all week, you can go back to that until tomorrow, I can't deal with anything tonight, I can't be late"

He frowned "Late to where?" Wondering, for a second, if she was also on drugs. He shook off the thought.

Gail sighed, she knew the only way to get around him tonight was to tell the truth "I'm having dinner with Holly"

His face lit up "That's great" he went to say more but the blonde stopped him.

"I'm not talking about it now I don't have time, we'll talk tomorrow about what happens and whatever is wrong with you two idiots" she said and grabbed her bag, put her phone, purse and keys in it, the grabbed her work bag and an overnight bag.

"You planning on moving in?" Dov asked gesturing to the bags.

Gail backhanded him across the chest "No but if things do go well I don't want to have to come home get my gear for my next shift"

"Alright good luck" he offered and dropped onto the couch, figuring Chis could wait until tomorrow.

"Thanks" she said and made her way out the door.

00000000000

Gail made a few stops on the way to Holly's and it was 6.53pm when she pulled into her driveway. She killed the engine and looked at the house. She loved this place, or maybe it was just it's owner, but she had always felt comfortable here. Even now as she was freaking out about having dinner with Holly, she felt a sense of calm just being here. Something made her eyes drift to the front door, that's when she saw the brunette, she was in the doorway, dressed in jeans, socks, a T-shirt and grey hoodie. Backlit by the house light, Gail didn't think she had ever seen a more beautiful site. She was happy now that she had gone with casual herself, wearing skinny jeans that Holly had liked her in, boots, a T-shirt and her black jacket. Gail picked up her bag and got out of the car "Hey" she said to the brunette.

"Hey, how was the rest of your shift?" Holly asked leaning on the doorway.

"Well, as you know that murder this morning was gang related so I spend most of it running around doing shit for my brother" the blonde said as she pulled a paper shopping bag from the back and a gift bag "Now as much as I do love my brother spending a day doing his leg work is not fun" Gail added as she locked the car and made her way up the walk "Plus he keeps telling me to call my mother" she shuddered then came to a stop in front of Holly "Hi" she said softly.

The brunette gave her the lopsided grin she loved "Hi" she said back. Holly leaned forward and pecked the blonde on the lips then stepped aside to let her in.

"So I wasn't sure what to get, so I got a few things" Gail nattered nervously as she put the bags on the kitchen bench. She turned as Holly joined her "This is for you" she said as she held out the gift bag for her.

"Gail you really don't have to keep buying me things, you're here, we're both ready to work on us, that's enough for me" Holly said not taking the bag and going to unpack the groceries.

Gail stopped her, taking the ice cream off her "I know I don't, I want to, I have weeks of stupidity to make up for and I happen to enjoy buying you things, so stop bloody complaining and take the damn bag" she said putting the bag in her hands this time.

Holly grinned at her, one of the things she'd missed about Gail was the no nonsense way she did things and the attitude that came along with it. She was never apologetic about it either, but the brunette had noticed, when it came to her, Gail was different, soft, kind, pretty much the person she knew existed underneath the bravado. She looked inside the bag as the blonde moved around the room, putting the things she bought away "Gail"

She said when she saw what was in the bag, there was an expensive bottle of wine, a teddy bear with 'I'm sorry' written across its tummy and a small box in the bottom. Holly pulled the wine and bear out "You really shouldn't have" Gail had finished putting the stuff away and stood near the sink with her hands in her pockets watching her. She took the small box and opened it, it was a necklace with a small flat silver disc, it was engraved, on the front it said 'Lunchbox' on the back it said 'Forever Yours Officer Gail' the brunette let out a chuckle, she reach out to the blonde, but she didn't move, she just looked at the doctor. Holly put the necklace down and walked over and stood in front of Gail, she put her hands on her shoulders and slipped them up, joining her hands behind Gail's neck, she rested her body against the blondes, a feeling they both missed "I love it" she said softly.

Gail didn't move her hands from her pockets, nervous and unsure if she really had the right to touch Holly back yet "Really?" She asked.

"Really" the brunette confirmed, as she rested her forehead on the blondes she added "You can touch me you know" she said softly "I won't bite"

Gail let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, pulled her hands from her jacket pockets and wrapped her arms around Holly's waist, she closed her eyes "I missed this" she whispered.

"Me too" the brunette said, she tilted her head to kiss the blonde when the kitchen timer went off "Damn" she said and redirected the kiss to Gail's nose "Dinners ready" she said as the blonde opened her eyes.

"What are we having?" Gail asked as Holly moved out of her arms and to the oven.

"Nothing too special, it just a chicken casserole" she said as she got the dish out of the oven.

"It smells great" the blonde said as she moved over to look at what she had made "But then when have I not liked your cooking"

"When I made you an omelette with tomatoes in it, after I picked you up from the hospital when you burnt your wrist" Holly pointed out as she got plates out.

"That doesn't count, I hadn't told you I hated eggs and that I'm allergic to tomatoes" Gail said

The brunette dished them both up a plate and carried them out to the dining table, the blonde following, the table was set up with silverware and glasses "Have a seat" she said "I'll just grab the wine" she headed back to the kitchen.

The minute apart gave them both a second to collect themselves, they both knew the conversation needed to happen now as it seemed that being close to each other was a big temptation physically, if they didn't talk things through now they could end up acting on their physical needs and making the situation slightly worse.

When Holly returned with the open bottle she poured them both a drink and sat down "So" she said and picked up her fork "Do you want to start or should I?" She said bluntly, knowing it was usually the best way to go with the woman if front of her.

"You can if you like" Gail said eating her first fork full "This is awesome by the way" she added.

Holly had a mouthful then spoke "I want to say I'm sorry for what you heard that night" Gail went to protest but the other woman stopped her "Hear my side, then I'll hear yours no interruptions" the blonde nodded and continued eating "Lisa can be a classist ass, when she was saying those things, I didn't object because I didn't even for a second feel like that about you. You are not just a beat cop, I don't think I'm out of you're league and don't take this the wrong way but you are not easy and uncomplicated" the blonde smirked and nodded "When I said I was having fun, I didn't mean that we were just having fun, I didn't want to say to her, things I hadn't said to you. My friend was an ass that night and it caused you a lot of pain. I do know why too, we did talk about your mom and the fact she constantly makes you feel like your not good enough, then you over heard her telling me you weren't and because I didn't defend you, you figured I thought the same" Gail nodded confirming her thoughts "For that I'm very sorry, I should have stood up for you and I didn't"

"It's okay" the blonde said "I wasn't exactly nice before I left"

"I kinda deserved it, Lisa got what she deserved too" Holly said, then had another mouthful.

Gail smirked a little "What happened?"

"When you left and I got over the shock, I went to go after you, she grabbed my arm and told me to leave it and you would cool off. I just exploded at her. I shoved her and told her she didn't know what she was talking about, that she was an elitist bitch, I told her I didn't need that crap in my life anymore and that she could shove our friendship and left. I haven't spoken to her since, she's tried but I'm done, she's pulled this bullshit before, it's either been about the women I date or my career, I've always just over looked it but this was the last straw" Holly sighed "I really wish I could have just stood up for you then this wouldn't have happened" she played with her food a little.

"Something would have triggered me to run at sometime, I think we both know that" Gail said "The day all this happened, after we talked on the phone that morning, Dov started asking me questions about you and I did something I've never done, I gushed over you, I told him it was different with you, that I was different, that I was better with you. I said I was serious about you but the only one who needed to know that was you"

"Oh" Holly said realising "And because we hadn't really discussed exactly what we were, when you heard me say I was having fun, you thought you were the only one that was serious"

The blonde nodded "I panicked, at first it was about the hurt and the thought that you were just another person who didn't think I was good enough. Then I used the situation as my escape and right now I have no reasonable reason for doing it" Gail sighed "By the time I realised the huge mistake I made, I had no idea how to approach you or even what to say"

"You could have just come to me" Holly said

"I really didn't think I could, then when Sophie's mom was killed things got worse"

"Wait" the brunette said "Who's Sophie?" picking up her wine and sitting back.

"Do you remember the shootings at the apartment block, there was an electrician in a stairwell, a gang member and a woman in a laundry room who died in hospital"

Holly nodded "I did her autopsy"

"She had a little girl, her names Sophie. She's beautiful and because some gang banger decided he wanted to move up the ranks. She, in a completely random incident, lost her mom" Gail was barely holding onto the tears "After that I just... I had trouble, that case got in. Oliver said it happens to everyone in our line of work" she sighed "He said it shows were human"

Neither of them were eating anymore "Do you wanna move to the couch?" Holly offered.

Gail looked at her mostly empty plate "Sure" they both grabbed their glasses and headed to the lounge room and sat down on either end about a foot of space between them.

"He's right" the brunette said "We all do have that case that gets in, mine was a 3 year old that was killed by his father, it was in my first year on the job, Jason was his name, I'll never forget it. His father went to prison, that case is the reason I'm so fanatical when it comes to forensic and police procedure, because then it helps stop people getting away with hurting and killing others"

"I'm sorry" Gail said, she played with her glass for a second then spoke "I don't want to run anymore" she said looking at Holly "I want us"

Holly pushed her glasses back up "I want us too" she stood up and put her glass on the coffee table took the blondes and did the same, then squatted down in front of her "I can't just go into this on blind faith, not again"

"Okay" Gail said hesitantly, not sure what she meant.

"Things need to be different, you need to do some things to help this work"

"Anything" the blonde said and meant it, she would do anything to get the brunette in front of her back.

Holly rested her hands on Gail's knees and held them out, the blonde put her hands in the other woman's "You can't run again, you need to talk to me, we will fight I guarantee that but we'll make up too. I couldn't handle this happening again, it already broke my heart once, if it happens again I really don't think we could come back from it" Gail went to speak but Holly continued "So when you feel like running come to me, explain whatever it is that has you spooked, if you need a little time and space, I'll give it to you, just don't cut me out again"

"I can do that" the blonde said squeezing her hands "I promise you, I'll try my hardest"

"That's all I ask" the brunette said "Also just so their is no further confusion, I am very serious about you, you are my girlfriend and I love you, I love who you are and don't care if you want to be a beat cop for the rest of your life as long as your happy"

Gail tackled Holly to the floor, she kissed her softly when she landed on top of her "I love you too" she said.

The brunette chuckled at the blonde who was now laying with her head on her chest, she wrapped her arms around her, sliding one hand up to run through her cropped hair "I missed you, I missed us" she admitted.

Something occurred to Gail in that moment "Wait, didn't you say at the morgue last week that you were seeing someone?" She asked with a frown as she pushed herself up so she could look the other woman in the eye, Holly didn't say anything just bit her lip "Was that the truth or were you just trying to get rid of me?"

The brunette took her hand from Gail's hair and straightened her glasses "I did say that to get you to stop" the blonde smirked a little "but it was true"

Gail's face fell, she pushed up to get off Holly but the brunette held on to her "Let me go" she said her tone holding a bit of warning.

"No" Holly said "You said you wouldn't run" already worried she'd triggered the flight response in her, now again, girlfriend.

The blonde sighed and stopped pushing away "I'm not running, I just need a second okay" the brunette let her go and Gail moved back until her back was against the couch "Is it over?" She asked as she pulled her legs up against her knees to her chest.

Holly moved over and sat crossed legged in front of her "The day you came to the morgue, I had only been out with her twice, Rachel introduced us. The next day she came over to go out for drinks, she saw the wine you left and read the note while I was out of the room. When she asked about it, I explained what happened, as I had intended to do anyway, she already knew my heart wasn't in it so we stopped something that didn't really start"

Gail closed her eyes for a second "Fuck" she muttered to herself "I guess it's only fair" she looked back at Holly, reaching out to her "I did walk away"

The brunette took the offered hand "I didn't sleep with her if that helps" she said intertwining their fingers, giving her a lopsided smile.

"A little" the blonde said, she sighed and rubbed her face with her hand "Is it bad that I'm jealous and wanna hunt this person down for even looking at you?"

"No" Holly said and tugged on their joined hands pulling Gail forward, the blonde took the hint and climbed into the other woman's lap sitting on Holly's legs, her legs basically wrapped around her "You love me, it's how you should feel when I say I was dating someone while we were..." She couldn't say anymore as Gail had gripped her face and kissed her much like she did in the interrogation room, this time though she slowed the kiss and spent a minute reacquainting herself with the brunettes lips.

Before either of them got too carried away she pulled back "Ow" she complained and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She took Holly's glasses off, folded them up and held them in her hand as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriends neck.

"You shutting me up again?" the brunette asked as she ran her hands down Gail's back to her ass and gave it a squeeze.

The blonde smiled at her "You complaining about my methods?"

"Never" Holly said, squeezing her behind again as she leaned forward to capture her lips.

00000000

After making out for a while, the pair got up of the floor and had some ice cream while they watched a movie. About halfway through, Gail caught the woman laying against her falling asleep, after which she insisted the brunette head to bed. Holly agreed but only if the blonde accompanied her.

The brunette went to the bathroom and changed, when she came back she looked at Gail who looked nervous "You okay?" She asked standing in front of her.

The blonde put her hands on Holly's hips "I really wanna stay with you but I don't trust myself to keep my hands to myself"

The brunette smiled "Good" she fought a yawn "I never said I didn't want you to touch me"

"You're tired, you need rest not me feeling you up"

Holly grabbed Gail's T-shirt and tugged her forward "I'm sure you can control yourself for one night, I don't want you to leave, I want your gorgeous blonde ass with me until you have to go to work ok?" She kissed her softly.

Gail pulled back and smiled "Yes ma'am" she gave Holly another kiss then broke away "I'll be back" she said and left the room.

While she was gone, Holly got into bed. Within about 10 minutes Gail returned dressed for bed with a duffle bag on her shoulder, she put it on the floor, against the wall and climbed into bed "You came prepared" the brunette commented.

Gail blushed as she pulled Holly to her, the brunette resting her head on her chest "I'd hoped you wanted me to stay, I didn't want to have to leave early to get my gear before shift, so I put it in the car just in case"

"When are you on again?" Holly asked her arm wrapped around Gail's waist.

"Tomorrow night, I start at 6"

"So we have all day" The brunette said and yawned again.

"Yes" the blonde said and turned out the lamp, she kissed Holly's head "Sleep baby, I'm not going anywhere"

"Mmmm" The brunette murmured "I love you"

"I love you too" Gail said, she closed her eyes, happy that she was finally feeling like she was home again, as she was starting to think that Holly would always be her home.

00000000


	3. Chapter Three

disclaimer - I don't own the characters or gain any profit by using them.

Chapter Three

Gail woke the next morning in a cocoon of warmth, with a body snug against her and an arm across her stomach. She couldn't help but smile, if any one had told her two weeks ago she would be back here with Holly she would have laughed at them. She brushed the brunettes hair back with her free arm and admired the beauty before her. She really had missed these moments when she could just appreciate and enjoy watching the wonderful woman in her arms and she hated that she had almost blown things. Well she had, and she was lucky that Holly was willing to give her a chance. Her silent watching was disturbed by her bladder, she slowly removed herself from the brunettes hold and headed for the bathroom. She gave her teeth a quick brush and went back to the bedroom to find Holly had rolled over to the side of the bed she occupied and cuddled up to her pillow. Gail smiled and went back to the bed, sitting next to the brunette, she brushed her hair back and kissed her cheek. Holly didn't move and her rhythmic breathing continued, the blonde moved her hand under the blankets and found where the brunettes pants met her shirt, she slid her hand under the shirt and gently rubbed her back "Baby" she whispered "Can I have my pillow back?"

Holly's head sprang up she grabbed Gail hand that was up her shirt, she pulled on it as she rolled onto her back effectively pulling the now squealing blonde on top of her, she pulled her into a kiss silencing her. After a few seconds she broke the kiss with a beaming smile "Good Morning" she said against Gail's lips, as she ran her fingers through her cropped hair.

The blonde pulled back a bit "You scared the crap out of me" she said with a pout.

"That was kinda the point" the brunette said with a lopsided grin.

"You're evil" Gail said, her bottom lip sticking out.

"And you love it" Holly pointed out.

"I do" the blonde agreed "I wonder what that says about me though" she pondered.

"Nothing good" the brunette said and tugged on Gail's neck pulling her back down for a kiss, first she kissed her top lip then her bottom lip "Hi" she said when she pulled back.

"Hi" the blonde said as she let her entire weight rest on the woman under her.

"Any morning after freak outs?" Holly asked as her hands moved up and down the Gail's back.

"Nope, I'm right where I wanna be" she leaned down and kissed the woman under her.

The brunettes hand slid down to the bottom of the blondes t-shirt and tugged it up, Gail broke the kiss and sit up allowing Holly to pull the garment off her, it was tossed on the floor with the brunettes following straight away, the blonde lowered herself back down they both moaned at the skin to skin, breast to breast contact. Holly pulled Gail back into a kiss, as she was about to deepen it she heard a noise, she pulled back and the blonde moved her kisses to her neck. She realised the noise was Gail's phone on the bedside table "Baby, your phone" she said, tugging on the short locks in her hand.

"Ignore it" she said and moved her kisses to Holly's breasts.

The brunette moaned as the blonde took her nipple in her mouth and sucked, she rolled her hips against the blonde, needing more "Fuck baby" Holly said as she moved to the other breast.

Gail's phone went off again, the blonde put her head up "I'm gonna kill whoever that is" she said moving further up the brunettes body and grabbing the offending object. She looked at the caller "I'm sorry" she said to Holly and kissed her "What the fuck Dov? It's 7 in the morning"

Holly's hands moved up and down Gail's back trying to soothe her.

"I know, I'm sorry and I'm probably interrupting something but you need to get back here ASAP" her room mate explained.

"Why, can't this wait?" She asked looking down at the bare chested woman below her, she gave her a kiss unable to stop herself.

"No, Chis is using, he's been doing cocaine" Dov said, knowing it would bring her home.

"What the fuck?" Gail said moving out of Holly's arms and sitting up, the brunette sat up in bed the sheet pulled up. The blonde stood and grabbed her shirt and pulled it on "Since when?"

"All I know is last week, that day he called in sick after not showing, when I got home he was drinking and there was lines of coke on his desk" he said.

"Fuck" Gail said, sitting stunned on the bed "What did he say?"

"He said he wasn't a junkie criminal"

"Technically by doing and having the drugs he's both" the blonde pointed out.

"There's some thing else" Dov said.

"I don't think I wanna know" Gail said laying back so her head was on Holly's stomach, she gave her a sad smile, the brunette started running her fingers through the blondes hair.

"When I woke up this morning, my computer, Playstation and all the games are gone, his computer, you're iPad and computer are gone too. I only checked your room because the door was open and you closed it yesterday before you left"

Gail sighed heavily "He's dead when we find him" she said "I'm assuming were gonna do an intervention?"

Holly frowned at her and mouthed 'who?'

'Chris' she mouthed back.

"That's what I was thinking yea, Chloe's coming and I'm gonna call Traci"

"Tell her not to tell Steve about the stolen stuff, he'll kill him if he finds out, call Andy too, she knows about this addict stuff cos of her dad" Gail said.

"Ok" he said.

"I'll be there in 15" she said and hung up, she looked up at the brunette "I'm sorry I have to go, Chris is on cocaine and has stolen some of our stuff so Dov wants to do an intervention"

"Has he done one before?" Holly asked.

"His brother was an addict so maybe, I don't know"

"Make sure everyone involved is strong about looking him in the eye or don't have them there, also you need to have a program ready for him to get treatment because cold turkey doesn't work" the brunette said.

"You sound like you've done this before" Gail said sitting up and straddling the brunettes blanket covered legs.

"I have, my brother's an addict, he's clean now for over 4 years but we nearly lost him before he cleaned up" Holly said looking down and playing with the seam on the blondes pyjama pants.

"Hey" Gail said tilting her head back up so she could see her eyes, she gave her a soft kiss "I love you" she said, she was never really good at this stuff but with Holly, she wanted to try "You can tell me this stuff you know, the good and bad"

The brunette gave her a small smile "I know, there's a friend of mine that works in a rehab centre not far away I can give him a call, see what we can set up for him?" She offered.

Gail gave her a kiss "This is why I love you" she got up "Come on, we need to go"

"We?" Holly asked still on the bed, while Gail was going through her bag looking for clothes.

"Yea well, you have more experience than I do at these things and you know the doctor and everything" she got her clothes and went and sat next to her on the bed " and honestly, I just really want you to be with me today" she confessed.

"Alright" Holly said and got up, she was thrilled that Gail wanted her with her but worried how the day would go for the blonde, she only hoped Chris would listen and get help.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey" Gail called out as she walked into the apartment, Holly in tow literally, as they were holding hands. She threw her keys on the table in the kitchen.

Dov stuck his head out of the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth "Hey, oh hey Holly, good to see your back"

"Good to be back" she said squeezing Gail's hand.

"Can you check if anything else is missing from your room?" He asked when he came back in "add it to the list" he added pointing to a note pad on the table.

"Sure" the blonde said, she kissed the brunettes hand and let it go, going to check.

"I called a friend of mine out at Bellview, they have a spot for him ready, if he agrees to go" Holly explained "I'm sorry this is happening"

Dov shrugged "He's done it to himself"

"They only care about themselves but it's hard not to care about them still" she said sitting at the table.

"Who?" He asked starting to make coffee.

"My brother, he managed to clean up, almost died first" the brunette said.

"Yea mine didn't manage the cleaning up thing, just the dying thing"

"I'm sorry" Holly said.

"Do you want coffee?" He asked, avoiding the subject.

"Yes" Gail said coming back in "he took my money stash from my closet" she said sitting next to her girlfriend.

"Sorry" Holly said rubbing her back

"So how do we find the fucker?" Gail asked looking up at Dov.

"I had an idea about that" he said putting two mugs of coffee in front of the two women "He must have taken the stuff cos he's desperate, I think he owes his dealer, so we tell him someone ransacked the place and bashed one of us, maybe you"

"He'd respond quicker if it's me, he doesn't like violence against women" Gail agreed.

Holly moved her hand to the blondes leg underneath the table, offering support "No decent person does" she said.

The blondes hand slid over the top of the brunettes on her leg, she went to speak but was interrupted by the three other people they had called coming in "Hey guys" Chloe said but stopped dead when she saw Holly sitting at the table "Holly" she said as the pair behind her ran into her back.

Gail sighed and rolled her eyes "Yes we're back together, I went and begged forgiveness and she graciously agreed to give me another chance"

"Good" Chloe said "you were getting weird"

"Yea, that's great" Andy added with a smile.

Traci came over and put her hand on the blondes shoulder "That was your mysterious plans last night?"

Gail looked up at her with a smile "Yea" she said and looked at her girlfriend who beamed back at her.

The detective smiled and leaned down to whisper in her ear "You told her you loved her didn't you"

The blonde let go of Holly's hand and stood up, the brunette raised an eyebrow at her, she just smiled at her and dragged Traci aside "Don't say that too loud"

The detective smiled again "Gail we all know, you've been so miserable without her, as long as your happy, that's all that matters"

"I am" Gail grinned at her "hopefully I won't fuck it up again"

"We'll help you" her friend said and they went back to the problem at hand.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Once they had discussed what they were doing and what to say, Dov sent Chris a text saying that the apartment had been robbed and Gail was beaten by the intruders.

"One thing you need to remember with anything he says it's the drugs talking" Holly explained just before Chris arrived "Stay strong and remember you're doing this for him, not to him"

She had barely finished speaking when Chris barrelled in the door "GAIL" he yelled.

The blonde closed the door and stood in front of it "Chris" she said.

He span around, why hadn't she noticed before how bad he looked, he looked strung out and sick "You're ok?" He said confused, looking her up and down to make sure.

"I'm fine but your not" she said and crossed her arms.

It was then he noticed the other people in the room "What is going on?" He span to face Dov "Why the hell did you lie?"

The other man copied the blondes arm crossed stance "You've been using and you have to stop" he said.

Chris's temper flared "It's got nothing to do with any of you" he said looking around the room.

"When your stealing our stuff and money then yea it does, plus it will kill you" Dov said.

"I'm not your brother, I can handle it" he said back.

"Chris" Gail scolded.

"Your one to talk" He said to her "You fuck with everyone's feelings, I don't know why Holly would even want to be with an ice queen like you, let alone put up with your crap"

Gail controlled her physical reaction but part of her wondered the same thing. The brunette saw the slight reaction in her girlfriend and walked over and hugged her from behind, she was stiff at first "I love you" Holly whispered in her ear and the blonde relaxed into her.

Traci stepped in as Chloe went to support Dov by taking his hand "You almost destroyed an undercover operation because you knew that dealer" Chris's shocked expression kept the detective talking "We're detectives for a reason, we notice things, it was obvious you knew him, it was only let go because he wasn't actually carrying anything that night, otherwise Steve was going to put you under investigation"

"Your a cop" Andy said "This could ruin your career and you could go to jail"

"You stole from me" Gail said "You even took the money from my closet, I trusted you"

Chris looked around the room and sagged against the wall "I'll pay you back, the computers, games and your iPad are in the pawn shop on Lawson, I just..."

Holly stepped up she let go of Gail and stood in front of Chris "Sit down" she said pulling out a chair, he obeyed "These people are here because they love you and want to help you" he looked at her in confusion "I'm here because Gail asked me to be"

"Oh" he said "you two worked things out?"

The brunette smiled "Yea we did, but this is about you, do you know how cocaine effects the body? I do, I see it a lot and to be blunt with you Chris, I don't ever want you on my table"

"I'm not..."

Holly cut him off "Short term side affects of cocaine use are loss of appetite, increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and rate of breathing, Disturbed sleep patterns, nausea, hyper-stimulation, bizarre, erratic, violent behaviour, Hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia and depression and if you overdose, Convulsions, seizures and death" Chris just looked at her shocked so she continued, speaking as if she was reading it from a list "Long term, Heart, kidney, brain, liver and lung damage, malnutrition, weight loss, severe tooth decay, sexual problems, reproductive problems, infertility, delirium and psychosis. Addiction occurs usually after just one dose and if your sniffing it will destroy the tissue on the inside of your nose, even short term use you can do irreversible damage"

"I'm not addicted" he said "I can stop"

"Sure" Gail said from near the door "That's why you stole from us"

"This is it Chris, with Holly's help we've organised a spot in a rehab facility, you either go or you get out of our house and we go straight to the inspector and tell him what's been happening, if you go we talk to Oliver and find away to keep your job and you'll always have a room here"

His eyebrows shot up "You wouldn't do that would you?"

"You wanna see if we're bluffing?" Gail asked.

It took a few of hours of talking by everyone but eventually Chris agreed to go, Gail drove Holly, Dov and Chris out to the facility and Holly booked him in, they stayed for his orientation and then left, promising to visit once he was allowed visitors. As they we're leaving Chris hugged his friends then pulled Holly aside "Thank you" he said "I didn't realise what could happen if I kept doing it"

Holly nodded and put her hand on his arm "Just get better"

They left, once Gail was on the highway she turned to Dov "You on shift tonight?" She asked.

"Yea, you?" He answered, looking out the window.

"Yep, we'll talk to Oliver together, he's on till 6 so we'll have to go early, do you need to go home first?"

"Yea, I'll grab my gear and take Chris's truck"

Holly's phone interrupted the conversation "Dr Stewart" she answered.

The pair continued talking quieter as the brunette handled the call "What are we gonna say?" Dov asked.

"The truth" Gail said "He's done this to himself Dov, we can only help as much as we can, if we lie and get found out we could be implicated"

"He's our friend Gail" He said sounding disappointed in her.

"Yea" she agreed "But he's also an addict, he just sold our stuff and stole five grand from me so forgive me for not wanting trouble at work" she snarked at him.

"I'll be in soon" they heard the brunette say and hang up. Gail looked over at her questioningly "There's a body, suicide they think, I need to go to the scene then do the autopsy"

The blonde put her hand on Holly's leg "I'm sorry this wasn't what I wanted for today"

The brunette took her hand and laced their fingers leaving their joined hands on her leg "It's ok"

They pretty much travelled in silence until they arrived at Gail and Dov's apartment as he got out of the car the blonde spoke "I'll go in early and talk to Oliver about Chris so you don't have to feel guilty" she added just enough attitude to show she wasn't happy doing it.

Dov sighed "I can come" he offered.

"I'll do it" she said "We'll talk about getting our stuff from the pawn shop tonight" he nodded and walked up the walk to the apartment.

Gail wound up the window and pulled into the traffic "I'll have to go in now, I'm sorry" the blonde said.

"It's ok" Holly said squeezing her hand "I need to as well, so nothing to be sorry for" she lifted up their joined hands and kissed the back of Gail's "I'm just glad we sorted things out"

Gail glanced at her and smiled "Me too" she slowed and stopped at a red light and leaned over and kissed her, then took off when it turned green.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" Holly asked running her fingers of her free hand across Gail's forearm.

The blonde shuddered "Aside from some sleep because I'm back on days on Monday, nothing"

"Well since I'll probably be up all night you could come over when you off and we could nap together" Holly said as she released Gail's hand and slid hers over the blondes thigh, slipping it down to rub on the inseam of her jeans "and maybe find a few other things we could do" she added dropping her voice to a husky whisper.

"Fuck" Gail said and swerved "I'm driving"

Holly smirked and leaned over and whispered in her ear "I've been so turned on since I saw you last week, I don't think I could wait another day to taste you"

The blonde whined "Holly, I have to go to work"

"So do I" the brunette said as she kissed the blondes neck.

Thankfully Gail was just pulling into 15, she got into the car park, quickly parked, threw off her seatbelt, grabbed Holly and kissed her passionately. She instantly felt Holly's tongue enter her mouth and locked their mouths together tasting the coffee the brunette had earlier, she started to slow the kiss knowing they didn't have a lot of time, she broke the kiss and rested her head on Holly's "You're a tease"

The brunette was grinning "I'm just making sure you have incentive to come over"

Gail bought her hand up and rested it on Holly's cheek "I don't need it, Hol" she brushed her thumb across the brunette's lips "I wanna see you as much as possible, I've wasted enough time without you" she kissed her softly.

Holly moaned into the kiss "I wish I could just take you home"

"Me too" Gail said sitting back, she pulled the keys from the ignition and handed them to her girlfriend "I'll get a lift to yours"

"Why are you giving me the keys to someone else's car?"

"It's mine" the blonde explained with a smile "I need to go talk talk to Oliver before shift so I can't take you home"

Only then did Holly look around and realise where they were "Oh" she said "When did you make such a serious purchase?"

"I figured it was time, can't keep asking everyone for rides all my life"

"Such a grown up" Holly mocked her.

The blonde narrowed her eyes "Just for that not coffee drop off during my shift"

"Aww" The brunette said and leaned over to Gail "I could make it worth your while" she said as she cupped the blondes sex through her jeans.

"Fuck" Gail moaned and leaned over to kiss her, Holly pulled her head back but kept her hand firmly in place "Alright, Coffee visit during my shift"

The brunette wiggled her fingers and captured the blonde lips kissing her slowly, she moved her hand to Gail's thigh and stopped the kiss, she looked at the time "You'd better go"

The blonde groaned in frustration "Yea" she said "you're a fucking tease" she added as the both got out of the car.

Holly met her at the drivers side she gave her a kiss "So I'll see you in a few hours?"

"I hope so" Gail said "As long as I don't get stuck doing UC or with one of the detectives" the blonde reached out and wrapped her arms around her girlfriends waist "After today, a quiet shift would be awesome"

Holly hugged her back "He'll be ok, he's in the best place to deal with his problems"

"I know" Gail said "I know it's selfish but I really wanted today to be about us"

"Tomorrow will be" the brunette said and gave her a kiss "You need to go"

"I do" the blonde said not moving.

Holly released her then got her bag and uniform from the car and handed them to her "Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, go home when your done, one of us should get some sleep"

Holly put her hand in her pocket and handed Gail a key "I was going to give you this before, I figure you should have it now since your lending me your new car" she said with her lopsided smile.

The blonde grinned "A key to your place?"

"Yea, no freak out required, just helps make our lives easier" the brunette added "Now go" she said as she turned Gail and slapped her on the ass.

The blonde walked away but turned and walked backwards, she gave her a smile "You'll pay for that"

"I hope so" Holly said leaning on the SUV.

"I love you" Gail called out.

"I love you too" the brunette said, she watched until her girlfriend disappeared into the station then hopped into the car and left.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly was back at the morgue at about 10pm, she had gone to the scene and what should have been a quick visit blew out because a rookie from 15 had stepped into the blood on the floor from the gunshot wound to the victims head, after finishing the scene she spent a good hour lecturing him on forensic procedure. She was tired and not really wanting to do the autopsy but going home to an empty bed now that she and Gail were back on track did not appeal either. If everything went smoothly Gail would be done around 4 and would be with her by 4.30, if she got the autopsy done now and the report, she could be home by 3 ready when the blonde arrived. She went to the cupboard and pulled out some scrubs.

She was examining the head wound around 30 minutes later, when she heard footsteps coming down the corridor, Gail came in, coffee in one hand and pastry bag in the other "Hey beautiful" she said as she entered.

"Hey" Holly said, she pulled off her gloves and quickly washed her hands. She took the offerings from the blonde and put them on the nearby desk "How long?" She asked grabbing her and pulling her against her.

"Not long, 10 minutes tops, I'm suppose to be giving you this" she said pulling an evidence bag from her pocket with a bullet in it "Then heading back to 15 to try and chase down this guys possible killer"

"This definitely wasn't suicide, trajectory is..." Holly couldn't say anymore as Gail's lips met hers.

About 5 minutes later they were disturbed by Gail's phone ringing, as she had switched off her radio before walking in the door "Shit" the blonde said pulling back a little, Holly was currently sitting on the desk and Gail was between her legs, they were both panting heavily from the make out session. The blonde pulled her hands from inside the brunettes scrub top and pulled her phone from her pocket, she didn't move away and put one arm back around Holly "Peck" she answered, seeing Swarek's number.

"I've been calling you on the radio, the doc know anything yet?"

"She said it definitely wasn't suicide, the trajectory was all wrong" she said as she rubbed Holly's back, as the brunettes head was on her shoulder.

"Good, I've got a lead, get your ass back here and you and Epstein can run it down for me" he said.

"Okay" she said and hung up, she twitched her shoulder so the brunette would look up "I have to go"

Holly lifted her legs and wrapped them around Gail's waist "I know" she said and rested their heads together.

The blonde ran her hands up and down the brunettes legs "I should be ho..." She stopped herself just before she called Holly's place home "I should be there about 4.30 if all goes well"

"Home" the brunette said "You can call my place home honey, it's ok" she ran her hands through the blonde hair putting it back in place.

"I just..." She sighed knowing she didn't have long "I don't wanna push you, you know"

"Gail" Holly said tilting her head to the side and taking the blondes face in her hands "Do you feel at home when your at my place?" Gail nodded "So call it home"

"Okay, I should be home at 4.30"

Holly nodded gave her one last kiss and released her, the blonde straightened her uniform and turned her radio back on "Let me know when your home safe" she said. Gail gave her one last kiss and headed for the door.

"Gail" Holly called.

"Yea?" The blonde said stopping in the doorway.

"Be safe, I love you"

"I will, I love you too" Gail said and disappeared out the door.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A little before 5, Holly was woken by Gail's body sliding into bed next to her "Gail" she said still half asleep.

"Yea, go back to sleep" the blonde said as she wrapped her arms around the brunette from behind.

"You're warm" Holly said moving back, closer to her.

"Yea, I had a shower, I went dumpster diving for evidence, I showered before I left the station but Dov said I smelt on the way over here"

"You smell wonderful now" the groggy brunette said.

Gail couldn't help but smile "Go back to sleep nerd" she snuggled on closer burying her face in Holly's neck "I love you" she said softly.

"Mmmm love you too" the brunette murmured as she dozed off.

The blonde held her tighter, thankful that she had the woman in her arms back, hopefully for good.


	4. Chapter Four

for this chapter there's a warning contains lesbian sex and is nsfw.

 

Disclaimer - I don't own anything aside from my own created characters and I don't profit from this.

Chapter Four

Gail woke the next morning to an empty bed, she yawned and stretched and looked at the time, it was just after 10. It was then she noticed the distinct smell of bacon coming from somewhere in the house.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly had woke not long ago and to stop herself from waking the sleeping blonde in her bed she had headed downstairs to make a start on some breakfast for them. The coffee was brewing and she was cooking bacon and pancakes. Once she was done she would wake Gail with food then move onto more pleasurable activities. She turned and took out the cooked pancakes, she was just pouring in another batch when a pair of arms circled her waist "Morning" the blonde murmured into her neck.

While pouring the pancakes with one hand, she bought her free hand up to rest on the back of Gail's head "Hey, I didn't think you'd be up yet"

The blonde kissed her neck and pulled her firmly against her "I was lonely" she dropped another kiss on the skin under her lips "I missed you last night" she whispered.

Holly ran her fingers through the blondes hair, enjoying the sensation of her pushed against her back "I missed you too, I did the autopsy and report last night so I didn't have to sleep very long without you"

"We're gonna become one of those couples aren't we" Gail said, resting her chin on Holly's shoulder, watching her cook.

"What do you mean?" The brunette said, she took her hand back so she could turn bacon and flip pancakes.

"The kind that has always annoyed me, the ones that are all over each other and saying I love you all the time"

Holly couldn't hold in the chuckle "Are you complaining?" She said pushing herself back against Gail. "Because I can keep my hands to myself today if you'd like"

The blonde held onto her tighter "I didn't mean that, you know what I meant" she said a little frustrated.

Holly put her hand back and rubbed Gail's lower back "I get it"

"Good" the blonde said and kissed her neck again "My phone is off by the way, I told Traci if there was an emergency to call you otherwise anyone from 15 calls us today and their dead"

The brunette smiled "So your all mine today?"

"That's the plan yea" Gail said. Like some higher power had been listening Holly's house phone rang "Did I just jinx us?" The blonde asked.

Without Gail releasing her Holly leaned over to grab the cordless phone and answered it "Hello"

"Holly, darling how are you?" Her mothers voice said on the other end.

"I'm great mom, how are things in New York?" She asked, the blonde behind her relaxing now she knew it wasn't work, she started kissing her way down Holly's neck again, starting near her ear.

"Well that is why I was calling, we're not there at the moment" her mother explained.

The brunette knew what was coming "What do you mean your not there?"

"We came up to visit your sister and the kids, we wanted to get together today for lunch, your brother is working, but you said last week you had today off"

"Fuck" Holly muttered under her breath.

Gail pulled her head up and turned the brunette in her arms 'what's wrong?' She mouthed.

Holly put her arm around Gail "I'm kinda busy today Mom, how long are you staying? Couldn't we have dinner later in the week?"

"Holly it's not like we've seen you much in the last year" her mother said starting the guilt trip

"Yea and whose fault is that? I'm not spending my day off with her, not after last time" the brunette countered. Gail let her go and turned off the burners on the stove before their breakfast was ruined.

"Alright then your father and I will come to you"

"Hang on" Holly put her hand over the receiver and turned to the blonde, leaning against the sink "Baby" she said with a smile, Gail rolled her eyes but didn't speak "Turns out my parents are in town and wanna have lunch with us today"

The blonde shook her head "Come on Hol, this was our day, our making up properly all day day" she crossed her arms.

Holly put the call on hold and put the phone down, she moved in front of her "Please, I will make it worth your while"

Gail continued pouting "How?" She asked.

"Well I didn't think I needed to explain how but I'm guessing your asking for extra incentive"

"Considering, meeting parents is a big step for our newly fixed relationship, yes a little incentive would be awesome" the blonde said with a slightly smug look on her face.

"How about this" she started pulling down the zipper on her hoodie that Gail was wearing "You" she kissed her " and me" she kissed her again "sex" another kiss "anywhere" kiss "you" kiss "choose".

"Really?" The blonde asked slightly breathless and very turned on.

"Really, you asked me before if I would do it and we never did, if you come with me to lunch, I will give you that fantasy" Holly said.

"Anytime, anywhere?"

"As long as we don't get arrested, yes"

"Okay" Gail agreed "lunch with your folks" she slipped her arms back around Holly as she picked up the phone.

"Ok, you come here and I'll take you to lunch, you can meet Gail"

"You two finally sorted it out then?" Her mom asked.

"Yea" she said looking into the blondes eyes "We both realised how stupid we were"

Gail gave her a kiss.

"Good, we should be there around 12" her mother explained.

Holly checked the time, that have them an hour to eat a very quick breakfast and get ready "see you then" she said, they said their goodbyes and hung up.

"So your parents?" The blonde said.

"My parents"

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As they ate breakfast, Holly explained the family dynamics "My parents, well my mom and my stepdad live in New York at the moment, there originally from Toronto but mom got offered a teaching job at NYU, once her contracts done they'll be coming back"

"When's that?" Gail asked, as she ate.

"November I think"

"So what happened to your biological father?"

Holly shrugged "I don't really remember him, my stepdad is the only dad I've known, i know some things but generally, I just leave it alone, it hurts mom so it's not worth it"

Getting that the brunette didn't want to talk about it at the moment, Gail moved on "Your brother?"

"Matt, he's the addict, we were always close as kids, the drugs kinda forced us apart but since he's cleaned up I try to dinner with him now and then, he lives at Niagra so it's not easy getting down there with work"

"I'm assuming it's your sister that your refusing to see" the blonde knew the brunette had a brother and a sister.

"Yep" Holly stated simply, she was playing with the food on her plate not adding to it.

"Hol?" Gail said reaching out for the brunette taking her hand.

"Jill and I, we don't get on, she's just..." She sighed "She's always had a problem with me, I don't understand why, she thinks my being gay is a phase and that I'm really straight. She's married to a creep who makes gross comments all the time and then anytime I've had a girlfriend around them he does things like proposition us" she shuddered "it's awful. Earlier this year we had a party for her birthday and everything blew up"

Gail could see Holly was getting upset "What happened?" she asked moving in and putting her arm around the brunette.

"I lost it at her husband, I yelled at him about everything and afterwards I was the worse person in the world, she knows what he does and thinks it's funny" she shook her head "I just want nothing to do with either of them, only my nieces"

"And I thought I had crap with Steve" the blonde joked.

Holly smiled at her "You've got you mother issues, I've got my sister issues, getting them all together could be interesting"

Gail smiled at her "Elaine and Jill in a room together? Let's avoid that as long as possible"

The brunette rested her head on the blondes shoulder "Maybe I should call this off, I just wanna be with you right now"

"No, we'll have lunch with your folks, then we'll come back and spend the afternoon together" Gail said.

Holly looked at her with a raised eyebrow "You just want your public sex fantasy"

"Of course" the blonde said with a smirk, she kissed the brunettes forehead "Why don't you shower and I'll take care of the dishes?" She offered.

Holly smirked back at her "Gail Peck doing dishes? Now that's an offer I'd be an idiot to pass up"

Gail pinched her side as she got up "Get your wise ass in the shower before I change my mind"

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The pair were well and truly ready by the time Holly's sisters car pulled into the driveway, behind Gail's SUV "Their here" the blonde said looking out the window "I think they bought your nieces" watching the couple help two children from the car.

The brunette came behind Gail who was spying out the kitchen window, she poked her in the ribs "Stop spying" she said and turned her around, she gave her a soft, slow, sweet kiss for a few seconds "To hold you over till we get back" then turned to let her family in.

Gail slapped her on the ass as she walked away "More like to hold you over" she said as she leaned on the bench.

"That too" Holly said with a smile then opened the door "Hey my girls, I didn't know you were coming" she said as the two young ones flew into her legs.

"Nanny said we should come see you Aunty Hol" the older of the two said.

"Yea, we came for lunch wif you" the smaller one said.

"Hey Mom" she said kissing her mothers cheek "Hi Dad"

"So where's this police officer we've heard so much about?" Her father said as they were all still standing at the front door.

"In the kitchen" Holly said, she managed to loosen the girls hold on her body enough to walk and went in the kitchen, she squatted down between the girls "Jess, Louise this is my friend Gail"

"Hi" Gail said and gave them a small wave, they both hid behind the brunette as she stood back up to finish her introductions.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Gail Peck, Gail, my parents, Wendy and Jack Stewart"

The blond walked over to her father and held out her hand for him to shake "Nice to meet you Mr Stewart" She turned to her mother "and you too Mrs Stewart"

"Relax Gail" Wendy said "We don't bite and please, Wendy and Jack is fine"

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Within an hour they were seated at the restaurant, already ordered and waiting on their meals. Gail was next to Holly, the brunettes parent across from them and the girl on either end "So how did you and Holly meet?" Wendy asked.

Gail looked at her girlfriend, who nodded giving her the go ahead to tell the story "My partner and I had a call to something in the woods, turned out it was a body, anyway I was watching the perimeter to stop any civilians from interfering with the crime scene. So this one" she point to Holly "waltzes past, I called her Lunchbox and told her she wasn't allowed there and she proceeded to lecture me on medical jurisprudence"

"I didn't lecture you, I explained it because you were clearly lacking since you didn't even realise it wasn't a lunchbox I was carrying" the brunette corrected.

"Sure, whatever you say, Lunchbox" Gail said with a grin "Then I went to the morgue and spent the day watching her do her thing"

"And did you start dating after that?" Jack asked.

"No, we started being friends, then there was a problem at the station and Holly came to see if I was ok and" she put her hand out and Holly took it "I kind of attacked her face"

"We were good then Lisa did her usual thing and it kind of threw us off track for a while but we sorted it out this week" the brunette finished, she lifted the blondes hand up and kissed the back of it.

"I never liked Lisa" Her father said "She always thought she was better than everyone"

"Gail calls her boob job" Holly said, Gail just smirked.

"I like it" her dad said raising his glass and the blonde raised her glass and clinked hers against his.

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After lunch they had headed to a park not far from Holly's place, Gail was playing tag with the girls, while Jack was taking photos of them, the brunette and her mother were sitting on a nearby bench "Gail's lovely" Wendy said watching her chase around after the kids.

"She's a big kid at heart" Holly said smiling watching too but most of her focus was on the blonde woman.

"I don't think I've ever seen you like this over anyone" the older woman said.

The brunette glanced at her then went back to watching Gail "I love her"

"She loves you too, I can see that, I just wonder if she's going to break your heart, she almost did already"

"Mom" Holly said, a little warning in her tone "I told you we sorted it out"

"I worry about you sweetheart that's all" Wendy explained "Don't get me wrong, I really like Gail, I think your good for each other"

"But?" The brunette asked.

"No buts, just make sure she's worth the risk"

Holly watched Gail catch up with the younger of her nieces and grab her swinging her around while the girl squealed happily "She is, I know it" she got up and headed over to join the fun.

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"That was exhausting" Gail said flopping onto Holly's couch an hour later.

The brunette who had made them tea, put them on the coffee table and joined her on the couch "Nobody said you had to chase them around like a lunatic" Holly said with a chuckle.

Gail laid down with her head in the brunettes lap "They asked me to, it's not like I was gonna say no"

Holly looked down at the blonde and ran her fingers through her hair "They are pretty persuasive when they wanna be"

"Much like their aunty" Gail said grinning.

The brunette smiled back "Mom liked you" she said "So did Dad, he doesn't say much but I know he did"

"You sound like there's a but in there somewhere" the blonde said sensing there was something she was holding back.

"She's worried you'll break my heart" Holly said looking away from Gail focusing on some lint on the blondes sweater.

"She has good reason to be worried" Gail said "I almost broke both our hearts already, it worries me that I might" she hadn't wanted to voice that particular fear to her girlfriend but she had promised to really try and talk when she's scared or spooked.

Holly looked back at the blondes eyes, seeing the uncertainty and fear there made her realise what it actually took for her to share this "Baby, as long as you try to talk to me and not run, we will be fine. As I told my mother" she put her hand on Gail's cheek "You are worth the risk"

Unable to he herself, Gail reached up and slid her hand behind Holly's head and pulled her down, she brushed her thumb over her bottom lip "You are everything" she whispered and kissed her, she softly kissed her bottom lip, then her top lip. She stopped and took off Holly's glasses, she held onto them and pulled her back down.

The brunette tugged her head back up "Let's take this upstairs" she said rubbing her hand across Gail's stomach and under her sweater, brushing the smooth flesh underneath.

The blonde licked her lips and nodded. She sat up and stood putting the glasses next to the forgotten cups of tea, she held out her hand to Holly. She smiled at her and took her hand.

They didn't even get to the bottom of the stairs, when the need to touch over took the brunette and she dropped her girlfriends hand and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her body against her. She ran her hands down her thighs and up to her stomach, she played with the bottom of her sweater for a second. When Gail's hands came up to tangle in her hair, she gave in and tugged on the sweater pulling back just enough to get it off, the blonde released her and the top landed on the floor. She started tugging on her tank top underneath when Gail moved forward, she held Holly's arms around her and directed them up the stairs, she didn't want to wait any longer to feel her girlfriend against her again, it had been way too long. As they reached the first landing the brunettes hands had made her way inside the tank top and were making a swift path to her lace covered breasts. When they reach their destination, she gave them a squeeze and Gail's knees gave out a little. She reached out and put her hands on the wall next to the landing, leaning forward slightly and Holly was all but grinding on her behind.

"Fuck, Hol" the blonde said pushing back off the wall "If you don't stop for a second" she moaned "We're never gonna make it off the stairs"

"I don't care" Holly murmured into her neck as she was kissing it, she started sucking on it, intent on leaving a mark.

Gail's hand moved to the back of her head, for the first time in her life she didn't care that the person she was with wanted to mark her, she however did care that their first time since making up not be on the stairs, so while Holly refused to release her neck or breasts, she manage to steer them around the landing and up the other flight of stairs to the second story. As they reached the top of the stairs Gail's bra and tank top flew off the top of the staircase landing on the floor below, now Holly had released her she was able to turn around, she pulled her love into a searing hot kiss as they stumbled their way to the bedroom, the blonde quickly evened up the clothing stakes pulling off both her sweater and T-shirt in one go, she undid her bra with one hand and threw it out the bedroom door.

Gail broke the kiss and took a breath, when Holly went in to rejoin their lips the blonde stopped her "What's wrong?" The brunette panted, running her hands up and down her girlfriends back.

"Nothing baby, I just wanna slow down a bit that's all, not that I wasn't enjoying being ravished"

Holly blushed a little "I seem to have control issues when it comes to you"

"I've noticed" Gail said with a smug grin.

The brunette decided to wipe the look off her face, she pushed the blonde onto the bed, who laid back resting on her elbows watching her lover. Holly stood in front of her and slowly undid her own belt buckle, Gail sat up to help but the brunette pushed her down "You asked for slow, I'm going slow" she withdrew her belt, slowly pulling it out of the belt loops "Let me undress then I'll undress you" she tossed her belt across the room, as she undid the buttons on her jeans she added "Then I'm gonna take you so slowly and sweetly you'll be begging me to make you come"

She watched the blonde in front of her shudder at her words "You are so beautiful" Gail said as the brunette slid her jeans off, she hooked her fingers in her underwear and looked at the blonde who uttered the word "Please" they were dropped too.

Gail reached out for her, Holly again pushed her back onto the bed "Your turn" she climbed onto the blondes lap and started working on her belt anytime Gail tried to touch or kiss her she either slapped her hand or pushed her away, she quickly got the belt undone, she got off her lap and pulled her jeans and underwear off, leaving the blonde naked on the bed, as she climbed back on the bed with her, they moved up so they were on the pillows. Gail settled back against the pillows as Holly hovered above her, she leaned down and kissed the woman below her, softly, sweetly. She abandoned the lips just as the blondes hands were weaving into her hair, she kissed her chin then moved to her neck, she kissed the mark she had made when they were on the stairs, she kissed her way to Gail's chest. Her hand resting on one breast and her mouth settling over the other, as her thumb teased one nipple her tongue did the same on the other, drawing circles around it then sucking it into her mouth, the blonde moaned her name and arched her back, her hips starting to roll against Holly involuntarily trying to find the friction it needed. When she had sufficiently worshiped her breasts, the brunette made her way down her lovers body, kissing softly at her flesh as she did. When she reached the apex of her thighs she looked up at Gail, who was biting her lip in anticipation, Holly blew on the damp flesh causing the blondes eyes to roll back in her head.

Once she had Gail's eyes on her again she leaned down an gently licked against the slick folds, the blonde above her groaned and buried her hands in the brunettes hair "Fuck" she murmured softly.

Holly found her clit and sucked on it gently causing Gail's hips to buck, she used both hands to hold them down and continued sucking and licking as a chorus of moans and expletives washed over her. When she knew the blonde was getting close, she slowed her ministrations "Baby" Gail whined moving her hips still.

"Soon" Holly said as she moved a hand off the blondes hip and took her hand linking their fingers. She kissed her lovers thighs until she had calmed a little then gave her folds another lick, this time she slid a finger inside her making Gail's hips fly off the bed.

"Oh fuck yes" the blonde called out "More" the brunette pulled he finger out and added another one, she didn't move just waited for the blonde to adjust then slowly started thrusting inside her. Gail's grip on her hand tightened as she sped up the thrusts, she placed light kisses over the blondes clit as she moved inside her "I'm so close" her lover moaned, as soon as she heard this she again pulled back, slowing her motions until she stopped just holding her fingers inside her feeling the wetness seep over her hand. Gail couldn't help it, she was extremely frustrated "what the fuck?" She said and tugged on their joined hands, Holly let go of her hand and crawled up her body, leaving her fingers buried inside her as she reached the blonde she rested her weight against her as Gail opened her mouth to protest, Holly stopped it with a kiss and began slowly thrusting inside her again. The blonde broke the kiss and moaned loudly "Please baby, please let me cum" she begged.

Finally hearing Gail beg, Holly set about making her girlfriend come undone, she kissed her fiercely thrusting her tongue in her mouth, the blondes tongue battled with hers as her fingers thrust in and out of her driving her towards climax. She broke the kiss allowing them both to breathe, Gail's hands were gripping her back holding on as she felt the orgasm coming "Oh Hol, I love you so much, don't stop please" she begged "I'm gonna cum baby" she whispered in her ear.

Holly changed the angle of her thrusts, going deeper and reaching that spot she knew would be the blondes undoing "I love you too" she said to her lover "Cum for me baby"

"Ohhhhh fuck" Gail called as she reached the peak, she arched up into the brunette and called out her name repeatedly as she came hard, shuddering through the orgasm. Holly holding her close and kissing her as she started to come down off the high. Once the blonde sagged against the bed, the brunette withdrew her fingers, earning a moan from the spent woman under her who was looking like she had passed out, she gently laid next to her and gently stroked back her sweat slicked hair, waiting for her to come back down.

She kissed the side of her head and Gail's eyes opened slowly, she looked over at Holly who was looking rather pleased with herself "You can wipe the smirk off your face" she said.

"I think I have every right to smirk" the brunette said "I told you I'd make you beg" she added as she ran her fingers over the blondes stomach.

Gail blushed then shrugged "Cant argue there" she rolled over so she was on top of Holly "I will say one thing, with all that teasing" she leaned down and kissed her "I don't think I've ever come that hard before" she whispered against her lips, bad watched her girlfriends pupils dilate "My turn" she said and pulled Holly into an earth shattering kiss.

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It wasn't until hours later, when the need for sustenance over took the couple, Gail had headed into the bathroom and Holly had headed down stairs to order some home delivered takeout, that the blonde had seen the large purple mark her girlfriend had left on her neck "HOLLY" she yelled.

The brunette downstairs just smirked as she looked through the menus trying to make a decision, she knew exactly why she was in trouble but couldn't bring herself to worry, she'd enjoyed every second.


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer - I don't own any rookie blue characters and earn nothing from this.

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Chapter Five

"What time do you finish tonight?" Gail asked as she came out of the bathroom the next morning, a towel wrapped around her, drying her short hair with another.

"Ummm" was about all Holly could get out, they had spent most of the afternoon and a good part of the night exploring each other's bodies again but just seeing the blonde in just a towel got the brunette a little hot and bothered again.

Gail smirked at her and went to her duffel bag "When you come back from the sex flashback you're having let me know" she said as she pulled out a black T-shirt and jeans.

"I was not" Holly said realising she had indeed drifted.

"You so were" the blonde argued "And please tell me you can help me cover this" she said pointing to her neck.

"Turtleneck?" Holly offered.

Gail shook her head "In August? I'll pass out within 5 minutes of being on patrol"

"Don't worry, we'll cover it before you go in" the brunette said "what did you ask before?"

"While you were having your flashback?" Gail asked with a smirk, Holly just rolled her eyes in response "What time you finish tonight, Traci text me asking if we wanna meet for a drink at the Penny tonight"

"I'm suppose to finish at 6 but considering I just got a text about 2 bodies already waiting..."

"It might be later" Gail finished for her.

Holly walked over and stood in front of her still towel clad girlfriend "I could borrow your car and join you once I'm finished"

"That's a possibility" the blonde said.

The brunette ran her finger across the edge of the towel "Then we could come back here" she slipped her finger inside the top of the towel.

Gail grabbed it "If you keep doing that we'll both be late" she gave the brunette a kiss " Are you sure you don't mind me staying again?" She added linking their fingers.

Holly tilted her head "Of course I don't mind, considering our work hours, to get more time with you I would do the traditional u-haul lesbian thing and ask you to move in but I think that might cause another cat in a tree incident" she moved over to her dresser and opened the top drawer "So baby steps, I cleaned you out a drawer"

Gail smiled at her "A drawer?" She asked.

"It's better than a duffel bag and I thought you could maybe keep a uniform here too" the brunette added feeling a little self conscious.

The blonde walked over and pulled her lover against her "Thank you" she said hugging her "For the drawer and for understanding" she kissed her, then whispered "Give me some time on the moving in thing"

"How about this?" Holly said as she bought her hands up to frame Gail's face "I've put it out there and when your ready to do it, just let me know, no pressure" she kissed her softly, nothing passionate, knowing it would lead somewhere with the blonde being almost naked "Get dressed" she kissed her again "Coffee and toast ok?" She asked as she started to leave the bedroom.

"Yea" Gail answered "Hol?"

"Hmmm"

"Thank you for understanding"

Holly smiled "Anytime"

The blonde smiled too "I love you"

"I love you too"

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Gail walked into the station with about 20 minutes until parade. She dropped her go bag on the bench in front of her locker "So are you and Holly coming tonight?" Traci asked coming in behind her.

"I'll be there, she'll join us after she's finished at work" the blonde explained as she changed into her uniform.

The detective frowned then smiled "You should really cover that better" she said pointing at the blondes neck.

Gail turned and looked at the mirror, you could only see the make up, she slapped Traci on the arm "You can't even see it"

"No but you can see the make up" Traci looked closer "Well I can, nice to see you guys are back on track" she added as she opened her own locker.

"Yea, I sucked up for a week then apologised, promised to talk more and that I wouldn't run away again and we said I love you to each other for the first time. Then we put Diaz in rehab, met her folks, we had make up sex for hours then she sort of asked me to move in and gave me a drawer until I decide I'm ready" Gail said matter of factly as she did up her vest.

Burdened with information all Traci could say was "What?" As the blonde grabbed her bag and left the room with a smile on her face.

She pulled out her phone to text Holly 'I think I just broke Traci.'

Within seconds her girlfriend replied 'lol how'

'I condensed our weekend down for her, babbled it I guess, you'd be proud' Gail smirked as she walked into the equipment room, her phone beeped a minute later.

'I'm always proud of you, so why do you think you broke her?'

She quickly typed out 'Cos all she could say was what, when I was done'

'You left before she could comment didn't you?" The brunette said back.

Gail loaded her gun and put it in her holster and grabbed extra clips, she picked up the phone and smirked, Holly knew her well 'Of course, I wasn't staying around for her to realise what I'd said' she could imagine the brunette laughing at that, seconds later the phone rang.

"I nearly spat my coffee then" Holly said when she answered "What exactly did you say?"

"I just told her what happened, our make up, Chris, your folks, our make up sex and this mornings conversation and oh that I love you" Gail said smiling, she knew her girlfriend would be happy that she wasn't worried about everyone knowing they were back together and in love.

"I'm not sure how I feel about you telling her about the sex but that's great for the rest of it" Holly said, a smile in her voice.

"I think she would have worked it out considering the mark you left on my neck"

"She noticed it?" The brunette asked "I'm sorry" sounding guilty.

"She noticed the make up, it's ok Hol, I didn't mind, I did kinda let you do it" Gail confessed.

"That's true" Holly agreed "but I did have you pretty distracted at the time" The blonde shuddered slightly at the memory that came back "Your having a sex flashback aren't you?" The brunette asked when there was no answer for a while.

"Shut up" the blonde blushed "Like you can talk, you spaced out like four times this morning"

"Well it was hard not to when you were running around naked"

"If someone hadn't thrown my bra over the stair case I would have to go downstairs and get it, or was that your plan all along?" Gail asked, she heard Andy and Chloe come into the room.

"I will never tell"

"I'm sorry but I gave to go, parade will be in a few minutes and if I get desk duty I can't bring you coffee and lunch" the blonde said as she left the equipment room, not wanting to talk to either woman right now, as they would just ask questions about her newest relationship development.

"That's okay, I need to get these autopsies started so I can get out of here sometime today" Holly said "Please be safe out there"

"I will be" Gail said "I have more incentive to be careful now that I have you back"

"Awww you're so sweet" the brunette said

"Yea, yea just don't tell anyone" the blonde said blushing.

"Never, I love you" Holly said.

Gail walked into the parade room, which was empty aside from Oliver who smiled at her "I love you too" she said "I'll see you at lunch"

"Bye Honey"

"Bye" the blonde said, she dropped her bag on the desk and pocketed her phone.

"Holly?" Oliver asked.

"Yea" Gail said with a smile "We sorted it out, well I basically begged"

"Good for you" he said and came and sat on the chair in front of her table "How's Diaz?"

"We're not allowed contact for the first week but Holly checked in with her friend this morning, he's going through withdrawals but doing ok" Gail explained.

"Good, I've had to put him on sick leave for now, I've done some checking and he will keep his badge as long as he gets clean and stays that way, he will be on probation for a very long time and not allowed near any drug cases but he won't get kicked off the force" Oliver told her "Let him know when you can, oh and I'll also need the number of the clinic"

"No problem" the blonde pulled out her phone and gave him the number as the other officers started to come in.

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Holly had worked hard to get through the two autopsies before lunchtime, she didn't want to get stuck in the morgue all night if she didn't get these two done before another case came through she would be guaranteed to be stuck here all night. She was just starting the second report when there was a soft knock on the door "Sorry Dr Stewart an officer from 27 dropped these off" Rodney said putting a small box of evidence on the table.

Holly sighed "Ok, when your done with the DNA for the drowning John Doe, can you start processing them, while I finish these reports"

"Sure" he said picking up the box.

"Thanks" she said and went back to typing. After about a minute there was another soft knock "If it's more evidence it will have to wait, take it somewhere else" the brunette said not looking up.

"How about if it's a hot blonde cop with your coffee, lunch and dessert" Gail's voice drifted over her.

She looked up and smiled "Now that I will accept" she stood, and moved in front of the blonde "Hi" she said softly.

"Hi" Gail said, she gave her a kiss "I got you a Greek salad and one of those Apple Danish things you like" she handed her the coffee cup and the bag with the food. Holly took the food and put it on the table, she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and buried her face in her neck, just breathing the blonde in. Gail ran her hands up and down her back "You ok?" She asked.

The brunette sighed "Just too much work not enough time, I wanna come with you tonight, work just doesn't seem to want to cooperate" she sighed again "I'm dreading another case"

"Hey" the blonde said tugging Holly's head up "Your not usually like this what's going on?" She held her head in her hands brushing her thumb on her cheek.

The brunette gave her a kiss and pulled away. She went and picked up case file "There's this" she handed it to Gail "It was one of the two cases this morning, I told them to warn me next time"

"6 year old shooting victim" Gail read "accidental?" She asked looking up.

Holly nodded looking upset "Him and a friend were playing with his fathers gun and his friend had it and it went off"

Gail put the file down when she read that it was a facial shot, she hated that her lover had to see that, she pulled the brunette back to her and her girlfriend again buried her head in her neck "I'm sorry" she said softly "Not only has one family lost a child, another has lost his innocence and his life will never be the same" she could feel the tears on her neck and just held her tighter. She held Holly for a while, turning off her radio quietly knowing that Andy would call if she was needed, right now, for once in her life, her lover came first. After a while Gail spoke "Is there something else?"

The brunette sniffed and pulled back, she grabbed the box of tissues and blew her nose "Compared to that, it's really silly" Holly said moving back into her girlfriends arms.

Gail brushed her loves hair back, straightening her glasses before putting her arms over her shoulders, linking her hands behind her head "I'm sure it's not" she said.

"I got a call from an organiser at a medical conference in Vancouver"

"That's good right? It means they like your books and articles" the blonde said feel rather proud of her.

"Usually yes" Holly said "If I have more than a weeks notice and I haven't just made up with my girlfriend"

"WHAT?" Gail said loudly, when she realised she had shouted she blushed "In a week?"

"To do it, I would have to fly out this Sunday night" the brunette explained "I wouldn't be back until late Friday"

The blonde rested her head on her girlfriends chest and sighed "If we'd been together this whole time, you'd go right?"

Holly knew what she was getting at "Probably but that doesn't matter it's too hard to organise"

Gail put her head up and raised her eyebrow "That's crap, when was the last time you took leave for anything?"

The brunette huffed at her "Well..." Holly looked Gail in the eye and sighed "You think I should go don't you?" She asked

"I think that you should do it because had I not screwed up, you would have called me excited about it, already booked your flights and told your boss" the blonde explained "Instead, you weren't sure about telling me and your standing here making excuses not to go because your worried I'll be upset or freak out or something" when the brunette didn't answer Gail asked "Am I right?

Holly pulled a face, pursing her lips "Maybe" she said.

The blonde couldn't help but smile "I'm not gonna freak out, I'll miss you a lot, I will probably bug you with wanting to spend all your free time with you until you go then I'll call and text you until you get back" she moved her arms off the brunettes shoulders and grabbed her ass with both hands, pulling her as close as possible "then when you get back you and I will both take the weekend off and spend the entire time having sex" she kissed her slowly, bottom lip, top lip then slipped her tongue out asking entrance to which Holly responded grabbing her head and deepening the kiss. After a few seconds the brunette broke the kiss "Are you sure?" She asked, resting her head on Gail's "It is a great opportunity, the medical conference in Vancouver is one of the biggest in the country and.."

The blonde leaned in and captured her lips for a second "Now that's what I expected to hear"

Holly grinned at her "Thank you, are you sure?" She asked again

Gail bought her hands up to frame her girlfriends face "I am so proud of you and this is something you need to do right now, so stop asking if I'm sure" she gave her a kiss, the brunette tilted her head at her, the blonde rolled her eyes "Yes Gail Peck grew up enough to understand that other peoples needs come before her own"

"Gail Peck shouldn't refer to herself in the third person" Holly said with a smile "I'm proud of you right now too" she added.

The blonde went to comment when she was interrupted by her phone, she looked at the time "That'll be McNally, I'm late" she said tugging her phone out "Yea" she said and stepped out of the room into the hallway.

The brunette went back to her desk, she put the file on the boy back in her outbox and went back to writing up her report. After a few minutes Gail came back in "Everything ok?" She asked the blonde.

Gail turned her radio on "Yea, were just due back out" she walked over and stood next to Holly, she leaned over and gave her a kiss "I expect you to have flights booked and leave organised when you get to the Penny later" she kissed her again.

As Gail went to leave, Holly grabbed her by the belt she swivelled her chair and tugged her between her legs, she looked up at her "I love you Officer Gail" she said the love shining in her eyes.

As the blonde looked down at her, she realised something, the brunette was wearing the necklace she bought her, Gail picked it up "I love you too Lunchbox" she looked at the disc "I am you know" she said.

"What's that?" Holly asked with a smile.

The blonde leaned down "Yours" she gave her a kiss.

The brunette slid her free hand into Gail's cropped hair "and I'm yours" she kissed her back "thank you for being here for me " she added holding onto her "I can't tell you how much it means to me"

The blonde squatted down, Holly's hand slid to her face "Anytime, I have to go but please call me if you need me ok?" She took her hand from her face and kissed her palm "don't ever think you can't talk to me about the good and the bad, I'm trying to be here for you, I'm not gonna run again"

Holly leaned forward resting her head on Gail's "I know, I'm just not use to reaching out again that's all" she said honestly, not meaning to hurt her girlfriend but knowing it would.

"I'm sorry" the blonde said, her eyes dropping to the floor "Just please talk to me ok?"

Holly tilted her face up "I will, I promise" she kissed her.

Gail's phone went off again "That's McNally again I really have to go" she said standing, she brushed her fingers over her girlfriends cheek "I'll see you tonight, call me if you get stuck I'll come keep you company"

"What about Traci?" Holly asked.

The blonde shrugged "What can I say I'm a terrible friend"

"That's not true, I was your friend" the brunette said with a smile.

"But your an exception" Gail said as she moved to the doorway "Enjoy your food, Lunchbox"

"Be safe, Officer"

The blonde smiled "Always" she blew Holly a kiss and left.

The brunette looked at her desk, at the unfinished report "Screw it" she said, grabbing her lunch and heading out of the office to eat.

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"Everything ok?" Andy asked as she got in after Gail pulled up in the squad car outside 15.

The blonde turned to her "Yes I've managed 3 days with her without fucking up" she didn't need to know that Holly had been upset after autopsying a little boy who was shot in the face "If you must know Holly's been asked to speak at a conference in Vancouver next week, she was telling me about it"

"Wow" the other woman said "and your ok with her going?"

"Of course" Gail said "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well usually you like to be the centre of attention" Andy explained.

The blonde shook her head as she pulled out of the lot "Not with her, I'm not blowing this again" she snapped.

"Hey" Andy said "I was just saying"

"Well don't, just say" Gail said and concentrated on the road.

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It was almost the end of shift and Gail was sitting at her desk, finishing her paperwork for the day when Dov sagged at his desk across from her "This sucks" he said.

"Aww you having trouble with the rookie?" she asked sarcastically not looking up.

"He's an idiot, I don't know why Andy tried to help him, he has no idea of anything it's like he never even went to the academy" he complained.

"You volunteered" Gail pointed out, still doing her paperwork.

"Because I thought maybe it could help me get a TO spot but all he's gonna do is get someone killed"

The blonde sighed and looked up "Tell Oliver, write it up, do the right thing" he gave her an unsure look "Andy fucked up, don't do the same" she looked back to the paperwork.

"Mmmmm" Dov mumbled in agreement "You heard anything about Chris?" He asked.

Gail sat back and put her pen down "Holly called this morning, he's going through withdrawals but he's doing ok"

He nodded "I picked up our stuff this morning, your laptop and iPad are in my locker"

"Thanks" she said "I'll get them after shift"

"Hey" Chloe said walking over, she sat on Dov's desk "You coming to the Penny?" She asked her boyfriend.

Gail took the opportunity to get away from both of them, she grabbed her bag and the paperwork and headed to the break room, she had set herself up at the table and started working again when her brother came in "Just the person I was looking for, your not busy are you?" he asked sitting across from her.

"Do I look busy?" She asked him back.

He grinned "No"

"What do you want Steve?" She asked leaning back in the chair.

"So you and Holly worked it out huh?" He asked.

Gail rolled her eyes "I'm trying to work, if this is a social call I'd rather do this later at the Penny"

"I need a few female uniforms to do some UC for a bust next week, probably Monday, Tuesday night for the set up then Wednesday night take down" Steve explained "Traci told me about you and Holly I just wondered if you'd really want to do it since you guys are only just back together"

"Holly has a conference in Vancouver next week, she leave Sunday night and isn't back till Friday night so yea I'm interested, what's the case?"

"Another illegal arms buy, I need you because of the club it's using as a front" he said and got up.

"Why, what club is it?" Gail asked curious as to why he would need her.

He was almost at the door when he turned to answer her, he had a huge grin on his face "It's a lesbian bar" he said and ducked as she threw her pen at him.

"Bastard" she said.

"See you at the Penny" he said and left laughing.

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Gail was heading for the locker room when her phone buzzed in her pocket, it was Holly 'As it turns out, after your visit my day got easier, I'm leaving in a minute, want me to pick you up or meet you at the Penny'

The blonde grinned happy that her night would include the brunette 'I've already begged a ride from Traci, she would be disappointed if she didn't get to try and get some info about us, meet you there?'

'We can't deprive the poor woman, I'll meet you there' she sent, a second later another one came through 'Just so you know, conference confirmed, plane tickets booked and leave organised'

'Good, see you soon' Gail put her phone down and started changing.

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"Gaaaaaiiil" Holly called out when she saw her girlfriend walk in the bar.

"Looks like she's already started" Traci said about the doctor.

"She had a bad case, that 6 year old who was shot by his friend" Gail explained.

The detective had heard the talk from 27 about the case "Fair enough" she said "I'll leave you to it" she headed in a different direction "Come find us when your done"

"Hey" she said when she reached the brunette "You had a few already?" She asked.

"Yea" Holly said with a smile "James here" she said pointing to a dark haired man next to her, who had his hand resting on her hip "Has been nice enough to buy them for me"

Gail narrowed her eyes on the hand, took a breath to calm herself, knowing that Holly had probably already had a few when the guy started hitting on her and she was after all a flirty drunk, she looked back up at her girlfriend "Come on everyone's here, we should head over" she said slipping her hand into Holly's and linking their fingers.

"Hey, we're having fun" James said unable to see their hands "Holly can stay, you go over" he said pulling her towards him.

"Get your hands off her" Gail said her tone full of warning, she tugged on her hand.

"Make me" he said standing over the blonde, it was then he saw their joined hands "Great" he said "I pick the only dyke in a cop bar"

Gail dropped her girlfriends hand and reared back to punch him when someone caught her hand from behind, it was Oliver "How about you two, head to our table and I'll deal with Officer Harrison here" he said shooing them away as he grabbed the other man by the scruff, calling to the bartender to get security.

"Are you ok?" Gail asked Holly as they made their way through the tables to where they were sitting.

"Yea, I'm sorry I didn't mean to cause that" she said.

"Nothing to apologise for" the blonde said curtly still holding her hand, Holly could see her jaw flexing and she was still worked up and jealous.

The brunette tugged her towards the bathroom, Gail let her wanting a minute to cool off. Once inside the bathroom Holly pushed her against the wall and kissed her fiercely, as their tongues battled for dominance, the brunette could feel the tension leaving the blonde as they kissed after a minute or two she broke the kiss "Only you, you do know that right" she said resting her head on the blondes.

"I know" Gail said softly "Im sorry I didn't mean to get... Just don't flirt with... Fuck" the blonde said unable to get a coherent thought out.

Holly took her face in her hands "I'll only flirt with you" she kissed her again "Now I believe your friends are waiting" she added pulling the still slightly dazed blonde off the wall and back into the bar.

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It was about an hour later, once Sam and Andy had joined the already crowded table, when Oliver stood up "I guess your wondering why I've called you all here" he said, he glanced at Celery who was next to him "Well SIU finally made a decision on the Ford incident, turns out they don't agree with inspector Jarvis and his assessment of what was the cause so as of next Monday we will have our great Staff Sargent Frank Best back and Inspector Jarvis is moving on from 15 on the same day"

Everyone cheered "So does this mean your back on the streets?" Andy asked him.

"Yes it does McNally, I'll be back in the saddle with you rookies where I belong" he sat back down, turned and kissed Celery on the head.

Gail got up and went over to him, Holly watched her go, she knew how Gail felt about the man, he was like a surrogate father. When the blonde joined her again, she tugged her to her feet "Lets go home" she said, they said their goodbyes and left.

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Hours later, after talking over dinner, a few intense rounds of love making, the pair had collapsed together in bed and both promptly fell asleep. Gail had purposely made sure the brunette was well and truly exhausted so she would sleep and not be awake thinking, after the morning she had, she knew from past experience that it can happen. It was about 2 am when Holly was ripped from slumber by a sound, she sat up and put the lamp on, seconds later she realised what the noise was, it was when the blonde next to her calling out her name in her sleep "Gail" she said turning to her "Honey, wake up" she said, knowing not to touch her.

"No no no, not her please" Gail said still caught in the dream.

"Gail" Holly said loudly.

When all she got back was a strangled cry, the brunette touched her shoulder "Honey"

Gail usually struck out when she touched her but this time she didn't, she sat bolt upright, grabbing the blankets in a death grip, she squeezed the blankets hard.

"Gail?" Holly asked.

All she got back was a sob. Holly pulled the blonde into her arms, laying them back down on the bed. She held her while she cried, it wasn't the first time and unfortunately it probably wouldn't be the last. They laid together for a while, just when Holly thought the blonde was asleep, she reached out to turn off the lamp "Can you leave it on?" Gail whispered.

The brunette kissed her head "Of course" not surprised at the request "You doing ok?" She asked.

"Yea, just... The usual" they'd had the whole, kidnapping and Jerry conversation very early on in their friendship so Gail really didn't need to say anymore.

"Try and get some more sleep" Holly suggested running her fingers through the blondes hair.

Gail snuggled in closer "Thank you" she said softly.

The brunette kissed her head again "I love you"

"I love you too" the blonde answered sleepily.

Holly waited until she was certain the blonde curled up at her side was well and truly asleep again before she let herself relax, she hated seeing her like this but this was a part of her, this is part of what makes up the woman she loves and she wouldn't trade her for anything.

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	6. Chapter Six

Please leave a review they help inspire me to update faster.

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disclaimer - I don't own this or profit from it.

Chapter Six

The next couple of days passed without any major issues, Gail spent every spare second she had with Holly, as it turned out there wasn't that many of them. The brunette had been busy with a serial killer case that Traci and Sam were working on, there had been a grave site discovered with multiple bodies and lots of evidence. It was discovered Tuesday, after taking the busy Doctor some dinner, watching her work for a while and after being told that she had intended to stay all night, Gail had left Holly to her work and headed to her own place to get some sleep. This didn't go as planned, 2 hours and one nightmare later the blonde was back at the morgue with her girlfriend helping to sort evidence. After an hour long nap together on the break room couch, Gail headed to her shift on Wednesday morning at 15.

That night the blonde handled her lover differently, she walked in made her put away what she was doing and dragged her home to eat and sleep, a nightmare free sleep thankfully. It was Thursday and the blonde was determined to get some time with Holly as much as she wanted it to be naked time, she understood the brunette was neck deep in evidence and bodies and wanted to get through as much as possible before her trip next week. In saying that she needs time with Holly before she goes too, so she'd do what she could to get it, that's why she was here, doing something she didn't like, to give the woman she loved five minutes to turn her brain off. They'd been here for over half an hour, as much as she hated doing this watching her girlfriend move more than made up for it. The ball hit the bat with a solid whack sending the ball flying again "I can't believe you suggested this" the brunette said then took a swing at another ball. She hit the button to stop the balls and went to the fence where Gail stood watching.

"I thought you could use the break and you've been stuck inside so I figured something sporty would be good" the blonde said with a shrug.

Holly rested the bat against the fence and took the helmet off, sitting it next to it. She put her fingers through the fence where Gail's fingers were resting, she linked their fingers "Thank you, I needed to get out of there"

"I know" the blonde said rubbing her fingers on the back of Holly's hand "I've missed you" she confessed softly.

The brunette gave her a small smile "I missed you too" she kissed her through the mesh fence, she gave her hands a squeeze "Do you maybe wanna get some dinner and head home with me?"

Gail smiled "I thought you'd never ask" Holly let her hands go, grabbed the gear and headed out of the cage, the blonde took some of the things from her "What about the case?"

Holly sighed "Well for me to process all the evidence myself, even just relating to the five bodies, before I go to the conference, it would take me doing 20 hour days till Sunday but I want to spend these next three nights with you, so something's gotta give and I'm not going to let that be us" they put the things on the counter then Holly took the blondes hand as they headed to Gail's car "I'm sorry I got so wrapped up in the case" she said as they reached the car.

"I get it, I know you lose track of everything when you get your nerd on, why do you think I dragged you home last night and here tonight" the blonde explained as they got in the car.

"And I appreciate it" Holly said resting her hand on Gail's leg as she drove out of the lot.

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"Peck" Oliver said as he walked over to her, it was Friday and she was currently on desk duty.

Gail looked up from the paperwork she was doing "Yea?"

"Can you..." His voice trailed off "Izzy?" he said walking around and going out into the reception "Zoey what's going on now?" He asked his ex.

Gail watched him talking to his ex wife and his daughter. It started her thinking about Holly and their future together and what it would be like, she thought about it a lot in the last week, she'd never really done that with anyone else, she had agreed to marry Nick but even then she didn't really think long term, with Holly that came easily even though they'd already been separated she couldn't see her life without the nerdy hot brunette anymore.

"Peck" Oliver said again once Zoey left "Your off desk duty, Epstein will take over, I am entrusting you with my first born again"

The blonde rolled her eyes and stood "and what would you like me to do with her?" She asked as Dov came over and took her spot.

"Right now, with SIU here I need you to get her out of here for about an hour, so you can deliver more serial killer evidence to your lady love, which I was about to ask you to do anyway" he pushed money into her hand "Take Izzy with you again, get her some lunch and try to keep her out of trouble this time"

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"What trouble did you get in this time?" Gail asked as she put the evidence in the boot of her squad.

Izzy sat in the front seat sulking "I don't know why I can't just hang out with my Dad"

The blonde looked at her passenger, her first instinct, much like she had last time, would be to give the girl a heavy dose of snark but she could tell something was up with her, in the interest of growing she took a different angle "Remember a few months ago when he was in hospital and there was the shootings at 15?" She was aware that Izzy knew what happened as Oliver had told her in one of their many talks, the girl nodded "The police who investigate these things have decided they don't like what your Dads boss said happened that day so their talking to everyone today, their almost done, once they are we'll go back and you can hang out, okay?" She said, stared the and pulled out.

Izzy nodded "I didn't do anything this time, I'm switching schools and have a few days off, Mom doesn't trust me alone so she dumped me with Dad, we're going to see the same woman from 2 weeks ago right, are you guys got back together? are you gay now?" The girl asked switching topics.

Gail rolled her eyes, she'd been asked that a lot "Long version or short version?" she offered.

"Short" Izzy said "I don't need details" she added pulling a face.

This made the blonde smile, she did like this girl despite the fact she once kicked her, it was probably because she was like Oliver "We fixed things. Yea I think I've always been gay just was too busy being something someone else wanted, it took falling in love with Holly for me to see it"

"Your mom?" The girl asked as Gail pulled the car into the labs parking lot.

"Yea, how'd you know?" The blonde asked as she turned off the engine.

"My moms the same, Dads cool, he wants me to do what makes me happy"

"At least you have him" Gail said and got out.

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They made there way into the lab and down to the morgue, Gail walked into the room they had set up for the serial killer case, expecting her girlfriend, she only found Rodney "Where's Holly?" She asked.

"She had another case come in" he explained "I think she's doing the autopsy"

"Thanks" Gail said "More evidence" she handed over the box.

"Just what we needed" he said and gestured around the room full of similar boxes.

She headed down the hallway with Izzy in tow "Does he mean like a real autopsy on a real person?" She asked walking behind the blonde.

"Yep" Gail confirmed as she walked into the autopsy room "Hey you" she said walking up behind Holly, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Hey, this is a surprise" she turned her head and kissed her cheek "Give me a sec" she said, turned off the voice recorder and pulled her gloves off, as she turned she saw the teenager with Gail "Izzy wasn't it" She asked as she walked to the sink to wash her hands.

"Izzy Shaw" Gail said reminding her.

"Ahh yes I remember, the thumb" brunette as she cleaned herself up.

Izzy was moving closer to the body on the table "Can I have a look?" She asked pointing to the body.

"Look but don't touch" Holly said then looked at her girlfriend "What brings you two here?" She asked as she sat down at the desk.

Gail moved over and sat on the desk in front of her "I had to bring evidence over, Oliver asked me to watch her while SIU finish up, I just wanted to see you before I take her to get some lunch"

The brunette picked up her hand "She seems pretty fascinated by the body, do you wanna leave her here while you get some lunch?"

"You'd do that?" The blonde asked.

"If she's interested I'm more than happy to show her, it's only a confirming cause of death case not a murder or anything" Holly explained "And it will take her mind off whatever is going on"

"She's changing schools" Gail said, then turned to Izzy "Do you wanna stay with Holly while I get us lunch, she'll show you some of the gross body stuff?"

"Really?" She asked excitedly.

The brunette chuckled and nodded, she got up, kissed Gail and headed over to the girl, she handed her gloves and took a pair for herself.

"Any requests for lunch?" The blonde asked as she got up and headed for the door.

"Burger, fries and diet coke" Izzy said.

"Sounds good to me" Holly agreed.

"Burgers it is" Gail said and headed out.

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As they ate with Holly, the teenager talked her ear off the whole time asking questions, Gail just enjoyed watching the pair interact. Well, she was really just watching her girlfriend, she was always animated when talking about her work, she loved it and loved sharing it. So when someone was interested, she lit up. They got up to leave when she got a text from Oliver saying the coast was clear. Izzy went out to the hallway, giving the couple a minute "Thank you for helping" Gail said to Holly as she pulled her into her.

"Anytime, you know me, I'll teach anyone who wants to learn" she said putting her arms over the blondes shoulders, resting her hands on the back of her neck.

"I know, you like to get your geek on" Gail agreed.

"You finish at 6 tonight don't you?" The brunette asked.

"7.30, I have a meeting with my brother and the other people doing this undercover sting next week, they wanna go over some stuff" the blonde explained

"You want me to pick you up, since I do have your car?" Holly asked with a grin.

"I swear you like my SUV more than your car" Gail said wrapping her arms around her girlfriend, holding her tight.

"It is easier to get into crime scenes" the brunette said with a shrug.

"You guys done?" Izzy asked, sticking her head back in.

"Duty calls" Holly said, she dropped her hands to Gail's cheeks "I'll pick you up at 7.30" she gave her a kiss "I'm cooking tonight, fresh pasta with mushroom and bacon cream sauce"

"Yum" the blonde said "Can't wait" she kissed the brunette softly "I love you, I'll see you later"

"I love you too, stay safe" Holly said letting her go.

"Always" Gail said and left.

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"So when I'm in Vancouver, you'll be sitting drinking in a gay bar with other women?" Holly asked with enough tone to sound jealous, they were washing up after dinner.

Gail couldn't help but smile, in the short time they'd been together she had only seen her girlfriend jealous a couple of times and one had to do with a hug from a very drunk Nick. The slightly drunk brunette had ripped his head off then dragged the blonde back to her place for some very hot, jealousy driven sex "Steve's been watching the place for months, there selling illegal weapons and possibly drugs too and I won't actually be drinking"

Holly handed her a plate to wipe then pushed her glasses up with the back of her hand "I know that I'm just..." She stopped.

"Jealous?" Gail asked with a smirk.

"That your doing undercover?" The brunette scoffed "I can say for sure I am not jealous of that"

After saying that the blonde knew for sure she was not happy with the idea of her being around other gay women "No but you don't like the idea that I'll be at that kind of club without you though" she said as she put the dry plate away.

Holly finished washing the last pot and let out the water, she didn't look at Gail just started wiping the bench, the blonde put the towel she had down, gabbed the brunettes hips and turned her around "Baby" she said softly pulling her body against her own "You know I'm not interested in anyone else right?"

Holly looked up and met Gail's gaze "I know and I know it's dumb" she slid her arms over the blondes shoulder, one hand rubbing the back of Gail's short hair "I just don't like the idea of those women having designs on you"

The blonde grinned "I'm there to watch the place, then try and buy and make the bust, Andy and Chloe will be there, Steve will be in the van with Traci. No one will have designs on me ok?"

Holly rested her head on her girlfriends shoulder "I told you it was dumb"

Gail slid her arms around the brunette, holding her "It's not dumb, it's ok to be jealous, like you said it's normal when you love someone"

"Yea but right now I am essentially jealous of your job" Holly said into her shoulder.

"I was jealous of yours for having your attention this week so if your dumb so am I"

The brunette put her head up "Well maybe" she paused for a beat "I don't know about you, but this dummy wants a bath" she kissed Gail and headed out of the kitchen, she stopped at the doorway "You coming?"

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"Hol?" Gail said breaking the comfortable silence between the pair.

"Mmmm" the brunette murmured, distracted, the blonde was currently running her soapy hands over Holly, giving the illusion of washing her when she is really just enjoying touching her. Her girlfriend was doing much the same with her legs. Gail was laying with her back against the bath with Holly laying against her.

"Do you wanna have kids?" The blonde said.

The brunettes hands froze for a second, once she was over the shock from the question they continued moving "Before I answer can I ask why you want to know?"

"Yea, with all the kids involved in the cases we've had lately I've just wondered that's all" Gail looked down at her when she turned to look at her "I'm not asking you to adopt or run out and get inseminated or anything like that I just..."

When she stopped talking, Holly picked up her hands linking their fingers, she'd known the blonde a while and shouldn't really be surprised by random questions like this "It's ok honey, I get it, you're thinking about our future and you want to know if I want kids in our future" she kissed her on the chin "To be honest with you I spent most of my life, up until recently, just concentrating on my career, I had relationships but not with anyone I would look at and say 'yea I want to have a baby and spend my life raising that baby with you'." Holly looked up into Gail's eyes that were looking down at her "With you, I guess I've started to think what our future might be like and yea I can see us with kids"

The blonde smiled "Good" was all she said then leaned down and gave her a kiss.

The brunette knew she was going to make her ask "What about you, do you want kids?"

"I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't" Now done with the conversation, Gail kissed Holly deeply, letting go of the brunettes hands, she rested them over her abdomen.

When Holly broke the kiss to breathe, the blondes lips went to her neck and her hands slid up to her breasts "Mmmmmm" the brunette moaned loudly. Gail palmed her breasts, giving them a gentle squeeze then took her nipples between her fingers and rolled them around eliciting a "Fuck" from Holly.

As her fingers continued their work, the blonde put her leg between Holly's using lifting her leg up and onto the edge of the bath, one hand left her breast and slid down her body, tickling the skin as it went until her hand rested on the brunette's thigh "You ready baby?" She asked as she teased the skin on her inner thigh, close to where she really wanted to be.

"Yes" Holly whimpered, one hand slid up around the back of Gail's head the other hand the blonde leg in a vice grip. Gail kissed the skin just under her ear, she brushed her fingers over the brunettes folds, not using any pressure "Gail.. Honey... please" she panted as she shuddered.

The blonde teased the flesh as she was kissing Holly's neck, she kissed just below her ear "Do you want me to fuck you Baby?" She whispered just as she found the brunette's clit and lightly teased it.

Holly's hips lifted in the water "Yes fuck me please" she moaned loudly.

Gail stopped teasing her, as much as part of her liked watching her girlfriend so worked up, she loved watching her come undone and even more than that she loved being the cause. Her fingers went straight for her clit, circling it and applying just the right amount of pressure, the brunette's hips started moving in slow circles, when the blonde rubbed directly over the bundle of nerves, Holly's hips thrust up so hard the a bit of water sloshed out of the bath. As Gail rubbed her clit, the brunette was writhing against her "Inside" she muttered "I need you inside" she moaned loudly.

The blonde moved her hand down and thrust two fingers inside her lover, she thrust gently at first, even though they were in the water, she could feel how wet Holly was and she loved it.

"You feel so good baby, so good" Gail said into her neck, she kissed her way down the brunettes throat to her shoulder and began sucking the flesh, determined to mark her.

Holly's hips were moving in time with the blondes thrusts, she had a hold of Gail's short hair "Deeper" she groaned "Almost there"

The blonde who was still sucking on the skin on her shoulder, bent them both forward slightly and thrust deeper inside her lover, pushing against the spot she knew would quickly push her over the edge. She moved her thumb up to her clit and rubbed against the bundle of nerves firmly, she released the skin from her lips and kissed the already purpling mark "You gonna cum for me baby?" She whispered hoarsely in her ear, knowing Holly was hanging on the edge.

The brunette gasped "Yes" as the climax shuddered through her, her whole body shook as Gail continued thrusting deeply into her girlfriend, dragging out the orgasm as long as possible "Fuck, Oh God" Holly moaned out as she continued to shudder. Eventually she collapsed against the blonde, her leg slipping back into the bath.

She laid against Gail breathing hard, the blonde who's slipped her fingers free, Holly jerking at the touch on the, now very sensitive flesh. Gail wrapped her arms around her lover and held her as she came back to earth.

"How you doing?" The blonde asked kissing the mark she left on her shoulder.

"Mmmmm" Holly moaned "I am awesome" she said looking up at Gail "Do you wanna get out?" She asked.

"It is starting to get cold, well from me anyway" she chuckled "You on the other hand are all hot and wet"

The brunette grinned up at her "Thanks to you"

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Sunday came around quickly, they had spent the weekend together, Holly had passed the serial killer case onto the chief medical examiner, he had taken it happily as it was turning into a big case in the media, then she had taken the weekend to spend with Gail. They spent most of Saturday laying around the house, eating, talking and making love, just enjoying each other. As Sunday progressed, Gail had gotten quieter, Holly was due to fly out at 10pm, by the time they went out at 6 to get some dinner the blonde had stopped talking completely, she was answering her girlfriend in grunts.

"So what do you feel like?" Holly asked as she pulled her car out of the driveway. Gail shrugged looking out the window "Gail?" The blonde looked at her "What's wrong?"

Gail raised her eyebrows "Really?" She snarked "Your flying out of here for 5 days in 4 hours and your asking me what's wrong?"

Holly rolled her eyes "So instead of enjoying the next 4 hours, you're going to be pissed at me" instead of answering the blonde looked back out the window "Fine" the brunette said and pulled over.

Gail looked over at her "What are you doing?"

Holly turned off the car and grabbed her bag "Well I'm getting my dinner at the Italian place just there" she said pointing to the restaurant across the road "Then I'm going home to eat and finish packing then I'll drive myself to the airport, you, on the other hand, can do what you damn well please" she got out of the car and all but slammed the door.

"Fuck" Gail muttered under her breath, she knew she had been sulking for some of the afternoon, she had tried to pull herself out of it, but the more she thought about spending 5 days without her girlfriend, the more upset she got, with herself for their separation and with the fact she was going. She got out of the car and headed over to find Holly, when she walked in the restaurant, the brunette was sitting in the chairs provided for takeaway customers, Gail went and stood in front of her, she held out her hand "Please" she said.

Holly took her hand and got up, Gail led her outside, back over to the car "I'm sorry" she said as the brunette leaned on the car, her arms folded "I don't wanna fight, I just... I..." Holly uncrossed her arms, she took both of the blondes hands to encourage her, knowing she needed it. Gail sighed "I don't want to fight with you, that's not what this is, I'm not even angry at you. I'm really just angry with myself and... I love you... And... I'm gonna miss you"

Holly smiled at her "I know why your upset Honey" she linked their fingers "And I get it, you just should talk to me instead of shutting down on me"

Gail looked down then back up at her "I know I'm trying"

"Why are you angry with yourself though, that I don't understand" the brunette asked.

The blonde moved closer and rested her body against her girlfriends "Because if I hadn't been so freaking stupid we would have been together all those weeks and maybe this would be so fucking hard"

Holly let go of her hands and wrapped her arms around her "I think if we had been together all those weeks it would be just as hard, maybe harder, it's only 5 days honey, I'll be back Friday, we've both got the weekend off after we don't have to leave my place at all if you don't want to"

"Ok" Gail said giving in "I'm sorry"

"It's alright" the brunette said and gave her girlfriend a kiss "How about we got get dinner and head home and stay in bed till I have to go" she turned Gail around, wrapped her arms back around her and started walking them back across the road.

"I need to order first" the blonde said her hands on Holly's arms.

"Nope, already ordered for you" the brunette explained.

Gail leaned back and kissed her cheek "you're awesome"

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They made it to the airport in plenty of time, Holly checked her luggage, got her boarding pass and joined Gail who was waiting on the other side of security "Do you wanna a coffee?" The brunette offered.

The blonde took her carry on bag for her "Nah, I'm gonna have enough trouble sleeping until I hear you've landed so I really don't need caffeine as well" they started walking towards the brunette's gate.

Holly took Gail's hand and linked their fingers "I'm sorry about this" she said squeezing her hand.

The blonde shook her head "I was the one who said to go so I'm just as much to blame, so no apologies okay?"

"How about I love you's, kisses and hugs" Holly asked.

"Yea I'm down with that, maybe not hugging, I don't hug" Gail stated straight faced.

"I have evidence that proves that, is not true" the brunette said pulling out her phone, she clicked on the screen a few times and held the phone up, it was a picture of them at the Penny, Gail was sitting on a stool, Holly had her back to the blonde and Gail had her arms around her from behind "then there's this one" it was a picture of them cuddling and kissing out the front of the bar.

"Who took these?" The blonde asked taking her phone.

"Traci" her girlfriend said "she sent them to me the next day saying she was glad you came to your senses and that I gave you a chance"

"Me too" Gail said handing back her phone, as her own phone beeped.

"You just sent them to yourself didn't you?" Holly asked with a smirk.

The blonde blushed "Maybe"

They reached her gate and the flight was starting to board. Gail put the brunettes bag on the floor and pulled her into her arms "I don't want you to go" she whispered in her ear.

"I know" Holly said, she pulled back and held the blondes face in her hands "I love you so very much and I'm gonna miss you like you would believe" she said and kissed her softly.

"I love you too" Gail said resting her head on her girlfriends "I'll miss you more"

They stood for a few seconds just taking each other in "Oh" Holly said breaking the silence "I meant to offer you to stay at my place while I'm gone, it's closer to the station and you'll be able to get uninterrupted sleep while your on nights, I made sure there's food there for you and..."

Her next words were cut off by Gail's lips she kissed her passionately for a minute or two then pulled back "You were babbling" the blonde explained "And thank you for letting me stay at your place" she gave her a kiss.

"I should go" Holly said noticing the line was almost gone now.

Gail pulled her into a passionate kiss, memorising her lips. She let her go "I love you" she said softly.

The brunette grabbed her hand and kissed her again "I love you too" Holly picked up the bag holding onto her girlfriends hand until she had to let go.

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Gail stayed at the airport until the plane would have departed then headed back to Holly's. She showered, placed her phone on the charger and headed to bed. She thought it would be strange being here without her girlfriend but it wasn't, strangely enough it still felt like home. Once settled in the sheets, she picked up on of the journals she'd grabbed from the bookcase in the lounge room downstairs, this one had an article in it Holly had written, she was trying to understand more of the forensic side of things. Her girlfriend worked in the field and without it the police wouldn't be able to do their jobs properly so she now saw it as an important thing to learn. It was just past 3 in the morning when her message tone sounded, she was on her 8th journal. She put it down in rolled over to read the text 'Got here safe, heading to motel now, so tired'

Gail clicked on her contacts and called her.

"Hey" Holly said when she answered "You didn't have to call"

"Just wanted to hear your voice" the blonde confessed "You in a rental?"

"Yea and I'm on hands free officer" she said, Gail could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Good, I need you back in one piece"

"So where did you end up?" Holly asked.

"Yours" the blonde said "wishing you were with me though" she added with a sigh.

"I know, hey I'm gonna let you get some sleep, be careful tomorrow when you go on shift, text me when you can, let me know your ok please"

"I will baby" Gail said and yawned, now she knew Holly was safe her exhaustion was catching up with her "I love you"

"I love you too, sleep good Honey, have sweet dreams, call me if you need me no matter what time, I'll keep my phone on"

Gail knew what that meant 'Call me if you have a nightmare' "I will" she said "text me once your at the hotel"

"Will do, I love you Officer"

"I love you too Lunchbox"

"Bye"

"Bye" Gail pushed the end call button, she put the phone on vibrate only and put the medical journals on Holly's bedside table.

She was starting to doze when her phone vibrated 'At hotel safe, all booked in room is great, sleep well, I love you Gail Peck'

Gail smiled and replied 'I love you too Holly Stewart, glad your safe, sweet dreams' she put the phone back on the night stand, grabbed Holly's pillow and pulled it against her, she smelt the brunette on it and it instantly relaxed her, she drifted off to sleep a few minutes later.

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	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer - I don't own or profit from this.

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Chapter Seven

Gail was woken early Monday morning to her phone ringing, at first she thought it was Holly calling to check in when she saw the number she frowned "Hi Trisha, is everything ok?" It was Sophie's foster mother, she was looking after her while they tried to find some family for her.

"Yea, she's doing well, she's just been talking about you asking when your next visit is?"

The blonde looked at the time "I can pop over now if you want, I'm not on until tonight" she said getting up.

"If you don't mind, she could use something to brighten her day"

"I'll be there in half an hour" She said goodbye and started getting ready, she had told Holly about Sophie but not that she was visiting her weekly when she could and wished she could give the girl a home. She knew she should, she knows Holly well enough to know that she would support her no matter what she wanted to do, she hadn't told anyone about her friendship with the girl. As she got ready, she decided she would tell Holly and introduce them as soon as she got back.

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"Gail" the little girl called as the blonde walked into the park not far from 15. They always met there, Gail never wanted to crowd the girl, more wanting to check in on her make sure she's doing ok "You came" she exclaimed as she flew into the blondes arms.

"Of course I did, I told if you get Trisha to call, I'll come for a visit" Gail said, she knelt down "Why don't you go play with the other kids for minute while I talk to Trisha then we'll go for ice cream"

"Yay" the girl exclaimed and skipped off to play.

The blonde watched her for a second then put her hands in her pockets "Any word on her family?" she asked the older woman.

"Not yet, there is a lead on her aunty in America, they're following it up but it takes time" she explained.

Gail nodded she knew what social services was like, she worked with them a lot "I might come and see her on Saturday if that's ok, I have someone I want her to meet"

Trisha looked at the blonde with a smile "Did you meet someone or did you finally call your ex girlfriend?" She asked.

Gail smiled back at her "I finally sorted things out with Holly, she's away at the moment but I want them to meet"

"That's great, I'm glad to hear you finally took the plunge" they had talked a bit about Gail's life in the times they'd met up so she knew a lot about their break up "Sophie will like her I'm sure, she's doing really well at the moment, they'll need to exhaust the possible family leads before they'll want to try and find her a permanent home, so you have time before you need to decide if you want to try"

"I just... I'm not sure I'm mom material" the blonde said watching the girl.

"She's 8 Gail, it's not like diapers are involved" Trisha said with a chuckle "You'd work it out, we all do"

The blonde gave her a look then sighed "I just need more time to work out if I'm what she needs"

"Don't worry the courts will do that, don't feel you have to do it though, she'll be ok"

Gail nodded "Lets take her for ice cream" she said and went to the girl.

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"So on Saturday I am going to bring my friend Holly over to meet you ok?" Gail said to Sophie, she had walked them home from the park and the pair were sitting on a bench on the porch.

"Ok, is she a police woman too?" She asked.

"No she's a doctor"

"Cool" Sophie said "Is she your girlfriend, mom use to have a boyfriends sometimes but she said sometimes girls like girls and boys like boys"

Gail couldn't help but smile, she couldn't get anything past her "Yes, she is and I love her very much"

"Will she be my friend like you are?"

"I hope so" Gail said putting her arm around her "you need to go in now, Trisha has to get you to school but I'll see you Saturday ok" she kissed the girl on the head.

"Bye Gail" the girl said and took off inside.

"Bye" the blonde said to her as she ran.

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"Hey" Traci said to Gail as she walked into 15's locker room that afternoon, she'd spent the rest of they day laying around at Holly's watching TV and texting the brunette, who only answered when she wasn't presenting.

"Hey" she answered "How's the serial killer case going?"

"We have a few leads, nothing concrete yet if we don't get something soon the press will eat us alive" Traci said pulling her things from a locker "I kinda feel bad for Frank coming back into that"

"At least he is back, I know Oliver couldn't be happier about being back on the street" Gail said.

"You're on that sting that starts tonight with Steve aren't you, I was suppose to be but the serial killer case comes first ?" Traci asked as she shut her locker.

"Yea for some reason he seems think to do a sting in a gay club you need a gay person" the blonde said rolling her eyes "Don't get me wrong like doing this kinda stuff, I just feel like he only picked me because I'm a lesbian"

"Knowing your brother yea it probably is, your his baby sister, he feels like he needs to look after you" Traci agreed.

"It's this, don't let Gail do anything dangerous my mother tells everyone, makes me want to apply for something like ETF just to piss her off" the blonde said as she zipped up her bag, after putting her equipment in it.

"If you did that I don't think it's your mother you'd be dealing with, Holly was freaked out enough with the Ford incident" the detective said with a chuckle.

Gail couldn't help but smile "Yea I know, I have to text her once I get back to her place at night while she's away so she knows I'm ok" then she added slightly puzzled "If it was anyone else I would hate it but with her, I just think it's cute"

"Love does that to you" Traci shouldered her bag "I have to go get Leo, good luck tonight"

"Thanks" Gail said and watched her friend go, she went to walk into the station when her phone went off, it was a text from Holly 'Stay safe tonight, I love you, I'm going to have a bath before dinner, will be thinking of you ;-)'

The blonde grinned 'Thank you for that now I'm gonna spend the whole night thinking of you in the bath, love you too'

She walked out of the locker room and headed for the parade room 'That was my point' Holly sent back, she pocketed her phone and walked in to where the others were, before she could speak her cell phone rang, she looked at Steve who just nodded indicating she could take it. She put her bag down and pulled her phone out, it was her girlfriend, she walked into the hallway and answered "Hol, what's wrong?"

"What the hell Gail? Why didn't you tell me you'd left a huge mark on my shoulder" the brunette growled at her.

Gail couldn't help but laugh "I thought you knew, I did it in the bath on Friday"

"No I didn't know, I'm at a conference, what if I'd taken my jacket off" Holly said.

"Hol, really I thought you knew, haven't you looked in the mirror?" The blonde said without laughing, she could hear how distressed the brunette was.

"I was rather distracted with you all weekend and I over slept this morning" Holly explained a little calmer "In my defence I can't see it when I look at my shoulder"

Gail could tell she was now feeling embarrassed "I'm sorry, my revenge wasn't well timed was it"

"I guess I kinda deserved it" Holly conceded "I'm sorry, I got ready for my bath and saw it in the mirror"

The mention of the bath got the blondes attention, she lowered her voice and asked "So are you in the bath now?"

She heard the brunette chuckle "Why yes I am officer"

"Holly" she all but moaned "God I wish I was there" Gail said.

"Me too" Holly agreed "It's bigger than my bath, you would fit easily"

"Baby, this is really quickly going to become phone sex if I don't go" the blonde all but whined "And my brother is going to get crappy if I don't get back to it"

The brunette chuckled again "Phone sex?" She asked "We'll see how desperate you get"

"Me?" Gail exclaimed "You were the one who almost jumped me on the stairs when we got back together"

"It had been weeks" Holly said "And anyway who had to promise who public sex to get them to meet her parents"

"I would have done it anyway, I just think you want to do it too"

"It is pointless to argue over who is the horniest, because honey when it comes to you, I am pretty much in a permanently hot and wet state" the brunette said knowing that would shut the blonde up, when she was greeted with silence, she added "With that I'll say stay safe and I love you"

Gail shook of the shock "I love you too you unfair tease" she said with a smile,

"Let me know your home safe, no matter what time" Holly said.

"I will, good night my beautiful tease" the blonde said.

"Night Gorgeous"

Gail ended the call and looked up to see her brother standing in front of her, smirking. She flushed bright red "Oh shut up" she said and walked in the parade room, shouldering him on the way past.

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Holly made her way into the dining room of the hotel, the first night dinner was usually interesting, she spotted Rachel from across the room and made her way to her "I didn't know you were here" she said as she hugged her.

"This one, I don't usually do but the sponsor offered a grant to the research if I came so, here I am" her friend explained "I was surprised to see your name on the program, you didn't mention it last time we had coffee"

They sat down at the table "I was only asked on Monday last week, it was a last minute decision"

"Sarah told me you've getting gifts from Gail" Rachel asked.

Holly smiled "We sorted things out, we only just got back together..." She thought for a second "10 days ago"

"And yet you're here" Her friend said "i didn't think you guys were going to get back together after... "

"She wanted me to come, well until we got to Sunday" Holly waved over a waiter with a tray of champagne glasses "Well Gail is nothing if not persistent when she wants something, She bought some evidence to me, then I returned it to her when she left it behind, then she started sending me gifts with these sweet little notes, after almost a week I invited her over and we talked it out and decided to try again" the brunette was smiling brightly as she took the drink from the tray.

"You look happy" Rachel observed "and no matter what Lisa thinks, Gail is lovely and as long as your happy it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks"

"My parents love her, Moms a bit scared she'll hurt me again but I told her she's worth the risk"

"Your folks were in town?" Her friend asked a bit shocked, knowing they lived in America.

"They flew up to see the girls and bought them up to have lunch with Gail and I" Holly explained.

"Did they bring your sister and the asshole with them?" Rachel asked, knowing exactly what her sister and brother in law were like.

"No thank god, I refused"

The conversation continued to flow, both women happy they would have someone to hang out with for the week.

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"Ok so McNally and Price will be on the floor, McNally will be the one to contact Gail if it's needed" Steve explained "My contact have given us enough information to know that you need to talk to the back door bouncer after midnight, you tell him you're looking for both a party and some protection, you give them $300, they check you out, you come back the 2nd night and they'll confirm the pick up time and place, which if our information is correct should be the club the next night but we're ready in case it changes"

"I assume you have set up an I.D. for me" Gail said "How much will they check me out?" Her last real undercover ended in Jerry's death, she didn't want anyone else being at risk, especially Holly.

"Don't worry, we've set up you up with a different identification" Steve said and handed her a file.

"Gail Peterson?" The blonde looked up at her brother "Peterson, really?" She rolled her eyes.

"It's just a name Gail, for about 2 seconds I thought about making it Stewart" her brother said making the other officers in the room chuckled.

Gail panicked for a second at the thought and went to call him stupid for even thinking it but then she thought better of it, considering he was her superior so she just looked over the folder instead. It was a basic profile, so if they did run a background check on her they wouldn't find anything unusual. As the blonde read, Steve went over what everyone else was doing, when he was done he dismissed them all and asked to speak to his sister alone.

He pulled a chair up and sat opposite her "You're gonna be wired" he said "I'll be right outside, Andy and Chloe will be close, it will be ok"

"How did you know I was thinking about that?" She asked not looking up at him, surprised he'd noticed.

"I saw the look you gave me when I mentioned using Holly's name, I'm not going to put you or her at risk, you know that right" he reached out and tilted her head up.

She pushed his hand off "Yea I know, it's just..." She didn't know how to say how she felt, she wants to do this but the part of her that relives the whole Perrick thing over and over wants to run.

"Our parents didn't exactly help is on the communicating front but I think I get it" he said, then change subjects "let's get you wired up and ready so we can get this going" he pulled a box out of a nearby bag.

"Steve" Gail said standing, he looked up at her "thanks"

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Gail was sitting on a table in the club, she was against the back wall so she could see most of the place and so no one could sneak up on her "How you holding up?" Steve asked for the tenth time in as many minutes.

The blonde put her glass up to her face and spoke "I'm fine just like I was a minute ago, I'm sitting in a bar having a drink, I think I can handle it" Gail could hear the snicker from Andy and Chloe through the ear piece. She sat there watching people for about another 20 minutes when a when a blonde woman came up to the table "Hi" she said resting her drink on the table.

Gail looked her up and down "Not interested' she said and looked away, she kinda felt bad but flirting hadn't been part of the brief, Steve had asked her to act aloof, like someone who was nervous and not wanting to be bothered, basically look like someone who wanted to score.

"I haven't said anything" the woman said a little put off.

"I know, look I'm just not interested, sorry" Gail said.

"I can take a hint" the other blonde said and left.

Andy's voice filtered through "She looked determined" she joked "incoming, to your right" she warned.

Gail looked "Oh fuck no" she said as she went pale "Andy you'll have to get her out, I know her"

"What the fuck are you doing here?" A rather drunk Lisa said as she reached Gail "Shouldn't you be home crying?"

Andy hadn't turned up so the blonde answered "Why would I do that?" She eyed the woman, she could see she was fairly drunk.

"Cos Holly dumped your ass" the brunette said "She told me"

Gail smirked "No she didn't, she screamed at you at the Penny and hasn't spoken to you since"

Steve's voice came through her ear "If this is Lisa, I get why your doing this just keep it quiet, Andy is on her way"

Lisa looked shocked "How the fuck would you know?"

"Holly told me" Gail explained.

The brunette looked confused "I thought..."

"You thought what, that you caused enough shit to finish us, to make Holly single and miserable like you boob job?" The blonde said in a low voice "No, we're together and happier than ever"

"I can't believe she would stay with a simple beat..."

Before she could finish the sentence Gail grabbed her by the arm "Shut the fuck up" she said in her face.

Just then Andy came in "I'll take care of it" she said taking Lisa by the arm, she then whispered in her ear "I'm thinking drunk and disorderly, maybe interfering in an investigation" when Holly's ex friend gave her a scared look she said "keep your mouth shut and I'll drop the interfering charge" she shoved the woman forward. When she was stopped by a bouncer she explained that the woman was harassing her friend and she was just ensuring she left, Lisa reluctantly agreed.

"Crap" Gail whispered, she'd almost blown the whole thing.

Her brothers voice came in her ear "As your superior officer I would have to say I'm very disappointed in you for engaging her" the blonde expected this "As your brother, that was awesome sis" that she didn't expect "Now back to it"

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After midnight, Gail met with the back door bouncer, paid the money and gave her name. He told the blonde to see the female bartender the next night to get the details as long as she checked out. Once this was done they headed back to the station. As Gail walked in through booking she saw Lisa sitting in one of the cells "Gail" she said realising it was her.

The blonde ignored her and walked through to the rest of the station, when she reached the parade room, she saw everyone gathered there for the debriefing "Why is boob job in booking?" she asked.

"She almost screwed us" Steve said "she's being done for drunk and disorderly, she'll be released in the morning, just enjoy the fact that she'll be sleeping where she is for the rest of the night"

Gail was happy with that, for the first time in hours, she checked her phone, there was a missed call from her mother and 2 texts from Holly, she deleted the voicemail her mother left before listening to it. Then she checked the texts 'The dinner was good, Rachel is here so won't be too bored at night, were having drinks in my room' Gail smiled, she liked Rachel, she was nice, she read the second one 'heading to bed, please be safe and text me when your home safe, no matter what time. I love you'

"Gail" Steve said, interrupting her return text "your phone can wait" he said.

The blonde huffed at her brother and dropped the object on the desk in front of her. Her brother talked about how it had gone and the set up for the next night, they would be ready just in case the pick up would be straight away. Gail ignored most of it because she knew Steve would pull her aside and go over it again with her. He dismissed everybody to go home and asked his sister to stay, she hadn't bothered moving knowing he would "You ok with how it went?" He asked sitting on a desk up the front.

Gail shrugged "Doesn't really matter what I think"

Steve frowned "What is your problem tonight? I thought you'd be happy after telling that woman off"

The blonde sighed "Wasn't her fault I was an idiot"

"Gail you can't dwell on this, you'll end up like you were before, without Holly" her brother pointed out "You've talked all this out with her right and your both okay?"

"Yea" the blonde said playing with her phone.

"So stop over thinking it and just enjoy being with Holly and be happy for once, no matter what that woman or our mother says you deserve to be happy"

Gail looked at him "You think so?" She asked.

He walked over, pulled up a chair and sat in front of her "I know you've been through a lot and our parents, well they don't help but you do deserve to be happy, you're a good person with a good heart. Holly sees that in you, I know because I've seen it, she loves you, don't throw that away again"

"I don't wanna lose her, I just... I'm just not sure I'm enough"

"You are enough, talk to her, she'll tell you"

Gail smiled "She does tell me, all the time, the day we got back together she told me she loved me"

"Did you say it back?" Her brother asked.

"Of course I did, I love her" she answered.

"Good" he said "Go home, get some rest, be back at 6 tonight" Steve got up and kissed her on the head and started walking out.

"Steve" she called.

"Yea?"

"Thanks for stopping my freak out"

"Anytime" he said and left.

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Once she got back to Holly's and into bed the sun was just rising, she sent her a quick text and passed out on the bed.

_'She was tied to the table, blindfolded, she could hear sobbing. She fought against the straps holding her down, it did nothing to help free her. The sobbing got louder. Twisted her head around trying to get the blindfold off so she could see the room, to see if she could help the crying person. Rubbing her head against the pillow, she managed to dislodge it. Her stomach sank when she saw who it was, Holly was on another table beside her "Holly?" She said softly "No no no no no" she started to panic "No no not you, god not you"_

_"Gail?" The brunettes head turned towards her "Help me please"_

_The blonde then heard the telltale sound of Perrick's shoes on the floor "NO YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO HER" she screamed at him as he came around to Holly._

_"You lied Gail, you didn't tell me you were a police officer, you didn't tell me you were a_

_Lesbian, but then you didn't tell anyone that, did you, not even your parents"_

_"I didn't know" she said._

_"ANOTHER LIE" he yelled at her, he grabbed at Holly, pulled her straps off and violently pulled her from the bed "Since all you can do is lie you can watch her die" he suddenly had a knife in his hand and put it to her neck...' ___

__"HOLLY" Gail sat bolt upright in the bed, she had a vice grip on the covers and was covered in sweat. She looked around trying to remember where she was "Holly?" she called out, when there was no answer the blonde remembered that she wasn't there, she was on the other side of the country. She reached over grabbed her phone, she had a good night text from the brunette from a few hours earlier. She scrolled through her contacts, her hands shaking violently, she had trouble making the call. The phone rang out and voicemail picked up, she heard Holly's voice ask her to leave a message "Hey" she started her voice shaky "I kinda need to talk to you as soon as you can. I'm ok, I'm safe... I just... Hol, I need you" she pushed the end call button. She tried to call a second time but it went to the message again. Taking her phone with her, she headed to the bathroom, her clothes were sticking to her and she needed a shower._ _

__Once she was finished, she checked her phone, still having nothing she tried to call her girlfriend again, when it hit the message she hung up. She went down to make coffee and find something to eat. She'd picked up her iPad when she dropped home before shift yesterday and she picked up some more clothes. She would have to do some washing soon, Holly had done some before she left but Gail wanted to make sure she had cleaned up before she came back. The blonde sat down on the couch with her iPad, coffee and toast, it was only about 10am, she hadn't got much sleep but there was no way she was going back to bed at least until she spoke to Holly. She tried to call her again a few times, still no answer, so she started checking emails and once that was done started playing games._ _

__It was about an hour and 10 more calls later that Gail's phone rang, she grabbed it and answered. "Holly?" She said without looking at the screen._ _

__"No, but I would like to meet her" her mothers voice said._ _

__"Mom" the blonde said now wishing she hadn't been so eager to get the phone "I'm actually waiting for a call so can I call you back?"_ _

__"You don't need to" the older woman said "I only called to invite you to bring Dr Stewart to our next dinner a week from Saturday, as I know she's away at a conference at the moment"_ _

__Gail sighed "I take it word has filtered to you about our relationship?" She wanted to have some idea of what they would be dealing with._ _

__"Yes, I don't know why you haven't told us Gail, but we can talk about it at dinner, I'll let you go, be safe on your undercover assignment tonight"_ _

__She didn't wait for an answer just ended the call, Gail checked, thankfully Holly hadn't tried to call while her mother was on the line._ _

__She was about to put her phone down when it rang again, this time it was her girlfriend "Gail, what's wrong? Are you ok?" The brunette sounded upset._ _

__"I'm ok, I said that in my message" the blonde explained._ _

__Holly sighed loudly "Are you sure? You called me 17 times" there was a pause "You had a nightmare" she said softly "I'm sorry I didn't answer, I left it in my room when I went down for my morning presentation, when I realised I didn't have time to go back..."_ _

__"Holly" Gail said interrupting her "I'm ok I promise, I just... I was scared" she said softly._ _

__Now a whole lot calmer now she knows her girlfriend is physically in one piece, the brunette was ready to comfort her "I know Honey it's alright, had my phone been with me, I would have answered even if I was speaking" when the blonde didn't say anything she continued "Do you want to tell me about it?" There was still silence on the line, she could hear the blonde breathing so she knew she was there "Was it like the others?" They'd talked about her nightmares before, every so often, after having them Gail would give some more details on what they were about._ _

__"I was in the basement again... this time y..you were there" the blonde said her voice wavering._ _

__"Oh Sweetie" Holly said "God I wish I was there, I can come back, I would just need to change my flight" Gail could hear the brunette moving around "I could probably be there tonight"_ _

__"No it's ok" the blonde said, she had a small smile on her face at the fact that her girlfriend was willing to drop everything and run back to comfort her after a bad dream "Hol, I'm ok, I just really needed to hear your voice so I know your ok"_ _

__"Ok, if your sure, I can come home anytime if you need me"_ _

__"I'm sure, I did get a call from my mother today" Gail said, changing the subject._ _

__"I bet that was fun" Holly remarked, the sarcasm dripping from her tone, she did notice the subject change but figured her lover sounded better than before so she let it go._ _

__"She invited us to Peck family dinner a week from Saturday"_ _

__"Us?" The brunette questioned "Since when do they know we're an us?"_ _

__"Since some big mouth at the station has let it slip, plus we've never really been that discreet" Gail shrugged even though Holly couldn't see her._ _

__"That's true, did she say anything else?"_ _

__The blonde sighed and laid down on the couch "Just that she doesn't get why I haven't told them and that we would discuss that"_ _

__"Ouch" the brunette said "well at least you won't be facing them alone this time"_ _

__"That's true" Gail agreed "So what are you up to now? Aside from talking to me of course"_ _

__"One of Rachel's presentations is in about a bit, I was going to that then, we're going for lunch"_ _

__"I'm glad she's there for you to hang out with, keep you away from those smart hot doctors" the blonde said jokingly._ _

__"I don't need a smart hot doctor, I have something even better, a smart, hot, beautiful, sassy police officer I happen to love very much" Holly said with conviction._ _

__"Aww made me blush lunchbox" Gail admitted "Oh by the way something happened last night, with Lisa, that I'm sure will get back to you very soon"_ _

__"Oh Gail, What did you do?" The brunette said in a slightly disappointed tone._ _

__"I, did nothing. I was minding my own business at the club waiting for the meeting when she came up and started saying things, she nearly got me made by saying I was a cop so McNally intervened then she and my brother charged her with drunk and disorderly and kept her over night" she explained trying not to smile, she couldn't be happier that the woman, who started the chain reaction that made her almost lose Holly, spent the night in a cell._ _

__Holly was quiet for a second then laughed "I wish I'd seen her face"_ _

__"Me too, Steve said it was priceless"_ _

__0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_ _

__After talking on the phone with Holly for a while Gail had a dream free nap on the couch for a couple of hours, had something to eat and headed in about an hour early for work "Hey" she said to Oliver as she passed him in the bullpen "How's my favourite TO going?"_ _

__He rolled his eyes "McNally was right, that kid is useless, I'm giving him a week if he doesn't improve he's gone, this time for good"_ _

__"If anyone can sort him out it's you" the blonde said._ _

__"How are you doing with the undercover kiddo?" He asked "Any problems?"_ _

__Gail knew what he was asking, he wanted to make sure it wasn't bringing up the past "It's good, I think it's bought some dreams back but aside from that I'm fine"_ _

__Oliver knew about her dreams as he had confessed having his own about his kidnapping by Kevin Ford "It happens darling, Holly knows about them?"_ _

__The blonde nodded "I called her with one this morning, she nearly flew back"_ _

__"She's a great woman and she loves you, don't fuck it up this time"_ _

__"I won't" Gail said "she's back on Friday night, we're taking the weekend off together"_ _

__"Do you want to use my cabin, I've had the power put on and there's plenty of food and everything up there, Celery and I head up once a month"_ _

__The blonde considered it for a moment, they could do with spending some time without distractions, there would be no issues with work and it would definitely ensure they were left alone "Are you sure you don't mind?"_ _

__"I wouldn't offer if I did, I'll get the keys to you before Friday, just take up fresh things like milk and vegetables oh and alcohol if you want it"_ _

__Before he could say anymore Frank called "Oliver a word"_ _

__"The boss man calls, don't forget, call if you need someone while she's away"_ _

__"I will and thanks for the cabin" Gail said._ _

__He kissed her cheek "Anytime darlin" he left, headed for Franks office, she headed for the locker room._ _

__0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_ _

__Gail walked up to the bar at the club, she leaned on the bar, the top she had on was low cut and showed her cleavage, the female bartender checked her out then headed over "Can I get you something?" She offered, now blatantly staring at her chest._ _

__"Could she be more obvious" Chloe's voice filtered in her ear._ _

__Followed by Andy "I'm kinda feeling angry about this for Holly"_ _

__A genuine smile graced Gail's face at the comment as it bought back the memory of the jealous conversation they'd had on Friday and the bath sex afterwards "I'll have a tequila shot"_ _

__The bartender obviously thought the smile was for her as she grinned, grabbed the shot, then when Gail tried to pay she wouldn't take the money "So what brings a hottie like you here?" She asked._ _

__The she almost laughed when Chloe's voice came through "Desperate much"_ _

__"I needed a couple of things, told here was where I could get it" The blonde said "I'm Gail Peterson"_ _

__"Oh" the woman said "You'll need this" she handed her a piece of paper "it's a pity"_ _

__"Why is that?" Gail asked as she read the paper, Steve would be happy, the bust would be the next night at the club, the seller would meet her in a certain booth at 11pm for the sale._ _

__"I'm not allowed to date the clients, patrons yes, clients no" she looked Gail up and down again "could have been fun" she wiped down the bar and walked away._ _

__0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_ _

__The next night the bust went down without any problems, they arrested most of the club staff and would make a deal to try and get the people who were supplying them with the drugs and guns. Gail was back on an afternoon shift on Thursday, she was in a pretty good mood, she'd managed to get through an undercover operation without anything going horribly wrong and Holly would be back the next night, so even when she was paired with Chloe for the shift she wasn't upset "Dov went and saw Chris yesterday" the younger woman said once they were out on patrol "He's doing better, he wants you to go see him"_ _

__Gail didn't look at her, just concentrated on driving "I've been busy, I'll get there after the weekend" she didn't really want to discuss Chris right now, she loved him like a brother but was still a bit pissed at him._ _

__Chloe got it and changed subjects "How's Holly?"_ _

__With mention of her girlfriend the blondes good mood returned "Great, she's been a big hit at the conference, they're talking to her about writing another book"_ _

__Before anymore could be said the radio crackled to life "15-19 possible body found at a park on Madison, are you able to respond?"_ _

__Gail nodded, Chloe took the radio "15-19 responding"_ _

__An hour later, there was uniformed police, detectives, forensics and the press at the park, it wasn't just a body, it was as far as they could tell, another dump site for the serial killer "This is great" Traci said to Gail who was standing aside letting the forensic techs do the work "We still have no solid leads there's another 3 bodies and our best pathologist is out of town"_ _

__"She's back Monday" the blonde said._ _

__The detective frowned "I thought she flew back tomorrow night"_ _

__"She does but I'm taking her out of town for the weekend" Gail explained._ _

__Traci smiled "Look at you, saying I love you, now a weekend away, next you'll be married"_ _

__The blonde blushed "I asked her the other night if she wanted kids" she whispered._ _

__The detective laughed "Really, I don't think you've ever been this serious"_ _

__"I haven't, I love her Trace" Gail said, she could hardly believe she was telling her friend this but she didn't seem to be able to do anything about it, she was happy and wanted to talk about it._ _

__"That's really great, just remember to keep talking to her when your scared and it will work out" Traci looked at the body "back to this" she squatted down "Sam and I were talking to Frank this morning, we need a couple of uniforms to help with running down some leads, I asked for you and Swarek has of course requested Andy, you two would be assigned to the case and doing mostly days, unless, and I'm really hoping we don't, we have another major find like this then if your available you might get called in, would you be ok with that?"_ _

__"Being assigned to a case like this would shut my mother up for a day or two" Gail said "Sure sign me up"_ _

__"What about Andy?"_ _

__"Doesn't bother me, we've just let that go"_ _

__"Easier when your happy huh?" Traci added._ _

__Gail rolled her eyes but smiled._ _

__0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_ _

__It was Friday night, Gail had spent the day running down leads with McNally then the evening getting everything together for their weekend at the cabin. The only thing she didn't do was pack a bag for Holly, everything else was ready to go, sitting in Holly's spare room. She'd tidied the house on Thursday night after work, everything was cleaned, washed, dried and vacuumed. When she finally sat down for a coffee she realised it would be another 2 hours and until she would have her girlfriend back, Holly had text her at about 6 saying she was boarding, she'd text back quickly but nothing more had come through, Gail looked at her phone for the time "Screw it" she said, grabbed her keys, her bag, the small gift bag for Holly and headed out for the airport to wait for her._ _

__She got a coffee, a doughnut and something else for her girlfriend and went to the gate to wait for her. She played with her phone for a while, she got up and stretched trying to alleviate the boredom, after a while she pulled a book from her bag, it was one Holly had written about forensic procedure and preserving a crime scene. She was that in the book that when her phone went off with a text, she jumped, It was from the brunette, they had landed and she would be there in minutes._ _

__When the plane finally stopped and the doors opened, Holly waited for the crowd to dissipate, her dislike of crowds overwhelming her urge to get to Gail. Once the crowd thinned she stood grabbed her bag from the overhead locker and made her way out. A smile grew on her face as she walked up the tunnel, her body was tingling with anticipation, as she came through the doors she spotted the blonde before she saw her. She was standing with her hands behind her back, up on her toes madly looking. Holly stood slightly to the side watching her until Gail finally saw her. The blondes face lit up, she gave her a grin and sauntered over to her, when she reached her, she pulled her hand out from behind her back and presented her with a single red rose "Hey Nerd" she handed her the rose, took her by the hips and pulled her body against her, both women sighed as Gail wrapped her arms around the brunette and kissed her, it started softly as the blonde kissed her top and then bottom lip, Holly dropped her bag and the rose on the ground, put her hands up behind Gail's head and pulled her in tighter, deepening the kiss. The brunette ran her fingers through the blondes hair "God I missed you" she said between kisses as they broke for air._ _

__Gail pulled back resting her head on Holly's, they stood there for a few moments just taking each other in "I missed you too" the blonde said, she put the brunettes glasses back into place "I have something else for you" she released her girlfriend, picked up her bag and handed her the rose._ _

__They went to the seats Gail had been sitting on she handed her the small gift bag "You should really stop buying me things" Holly said as she looked in the bag._ _

__"No I shouldn't" the blonde said and leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips._ _

__"Gail" she said softly as she saw the gift. It was an antique microscope._ _

__"You said you always wanted one when we saw it at that antique store" the blonde said nervously "so I picked it up"_ _

__Holly looked back up at her "that was months ago"_ _

__"I know, I kept it, I kind of hoped I would get to give it to you"_ _

__The brunette carefully put the gift bag down and pulled Gail back against her "Thank you" she said cuddling her._ _

__The blonde retuned it the embrace, relieved that her girlfriend liked the present "Lets get out of here"_ _

__0-0-0_ _

__Before they even reached the car, Gail was starting to get desperate in her need to touch Holly, they'd gone from holding hands to an arm around each other, the blonde had her girlfriends carry on and the brunette was pulling her suitcase along. For the fifth time, Gail's hand slid down Holly's back and rested on her ass, she moved it back up this time with her hand under her jacket then on her next move down, her hand slid under the waist band of her jeans, she groaned slightly "Gail" Holly said warning in her tone "We'll be home soon"_ _

__"Not soon enough" the blonde pouted but didn't pull her hand out, when they reached the car, she reluctantly pulled her hand out and helped load the bags into the car._ _

__As soon as the back door was shut, she was on Holly, she pushed her against the car, slid her thigh between her legs and lifted her up, her legs resting on her hips "Gail" Holly squealed, the blonde muffled any other words with her mouth. They kissed passionately, all tongues, teeth and lips. One of Gail's hand held onto Holly around the waist, the other slipped under the fabric of the blue button up shirt she had on. The brunette was starting to move against her thigh as she reached her breast._ _

__She was about to pull her bra aside when Holly froze against her broke the kiss and was pushing her away, it was then she turned her head, there was an elderly couple walking past "crap" Gail muttered and let her down, blushing she turned to the old couple "I'm sorry" she said blushing._ _

__"No problem dear" the lady said "we've all been in love" she added as the walked away._ _

__"Come on you" Holly said, reaching out and taking her hand "Lets go home"_ _

__0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_ _


	8. Chapter Eight

disclaimer - I don't own rookie blue or it's characters. If I did I would have Gail and Holly together no matter what.

Chapter Eight

As soon as they walked in the house, Gail attacked Holly, they didn't make the bedroom just ended up on the couch. The blonde had already driven her girlfriend over the edge multiple times and was now naked, straddling the nude brunettes lap, rocking against her hand, Holly's fingers thrusting deep inside her, her thumb brushing her clit as she gasped and moaned into the brunettes neck. "You're so hot" Holly mumbled into Gail's bare shoulder "and wet"

"God I missed you" the blonde moaned out and caught the brunettes lips with her own, it was an open mouthed, sloppy but very passionate kiss "Deeper" Gail moaned breaking the kiss "Please"

Holly moved her hand further between them and deeper into her lover, the blonde rested her head on the brunettes shoulder, as she rubbed her clit faster, her hip moved faster in time with the thrusts she could tell the woman in her lap was close "Let go" she whispered in her ear.

"Holly" Gail gasped "So close"

The brunette used her free hand to grab the blonde by the short hair on the back of her head, as they continued to move, she pulled her head up so she could see her face "Open your eyes Honey" Gail didn't, when Holly slowed her hand ever so slightly her lovers eyes sprang open "That's it" she increased her thrusts. Gail's eyes were locked with hers "Cum for me" she said softly then added "I love you".

That was the blondes undoing, her climax hit her hard as she called her girlfriends name repeatedly as she shook and shuddered. Holly didn't slow her pace, determined to hear her again, her thumb circled faster, just as the first orgasm finished, Gail's head fell to her shoulder as she rocked against the thrusts "Holly" she said desperately "I'm..." She shuddered again the climax taking hold of her body "Holly... Oh Holly" she moaned against her shoulder, as her body came down and the brunette slowed her thrusts, then let her fingers slip from her lover.

Gail slumped against Holly bonelessly, the brunette wrapped her arms around the woman against her, holding her as she recovered "That was intense" she whispered and kissed the blondes temple "How are you doing?" She asked, one hand resting on her hip the other starting to trace patterns on her bare back.

Gail tried to pull herself up off her lover and found she couldn't "Seems my body likes it here" she said and relaxed back into her.

"Aside from the fact that we will eventually get cold I have no issues staying here for a while" the brunette said as she ran both hands up and down Gail's back.

They laid silently for a minute until the blonde managed to move. They turned off the lights and headed upstairs, after doing their nightly rituals they slid into bed together, Holly as on her back, she had put on underwear and a T-shirt, Gail was wearing much the same, the blonde laid against her chest and looked up at the brunette "I've borrowed Oliver's cabin for the weekend"

Holly smiled "I did wonder why there was fresh fruit in the fridge"

"I thought we could drive up tomorrow after lunch, come back Sunday night" Gail suggested.

"Planning on sleeping late tomorrow?" The brunette joked.

The blondes eyes dropped from Holly's, she was looking at the brunettes shirt "I ummm"

"Gail" Holly said, she knew Gail well enough to know there was something she hadn't told her, she had no idea what it was "Did some thing happen?" She asked softly as she tilted the blondes head up so their eyes met "It's just me remember, no judging"

Gail sighed "Remember I told you about Sophie, the case that got under my skin?" Holly nodded "I've well... I've been..,." The blonde struggled to speak.

The brunette slid her hand from Gail's chin to her cheek "Honey, whatever it is, you can tell me"

"I've been spending time with her, she's a great kid" Holly puffed out a relieved sigh, she was thinking the worst, along the lines of I made a mistake and I'm leaving again "you could say we're friends" the blonde added.

"This is the little girl who's mom was killed?" The brunette asked wanting clarification.

"Yea" Gail said resting her chin on Holly's chest "she's a great kid, so bright and strong, they're trying to find some family for her but it's taking forever, she's living with her foster mom Trisha, I usually meet them once a week just to check in"

The brunette ran her hand through Gail's hair "Is she why you asked me if I wanted kids?"

The blonde smiled for the first time in the last few minutes "No" Holly raised an eyebrow in question "I was watching Oliver with Izzy and I just wondered how it would be if it was our kid and would we have the same problems and it kinda sent me off on this whole thought of us having kids, I guess I wanted to know if you did want them so I knew if it was a possibility"

Holly nodded "I get it, you have thought about adopting her though" she watched Gail look down again and knew she was right.

"I've had thoughts like that, yea" the blonde sighed and looked back up "I don't know though, I might be getting ahead of myself anyway she does have an aunt somewhere, they need to find her and at least talk to her to see if she's willing to take her before Sophie can find a permanent home"

Holly's hands were still running through Gail's hair "This isn't new is it, you were thinking about this before we got back together"

The blonde knew what she was asking, why hadn't she told her "What was I gonna say Hol, I was too busy trying to get you back and then once we were back, you got the call about the conference and that case with the little boy, it just wasn't the right time"

The brunette nodded accepting the answer "Let me see if I get this, You've been visiting Sophie since her mom died, they're currently trying to find some family for her to live with and if they don't you're thinking about giving her a permanent home"

"Yea" Gail said looking unsure about how Holly is going to react.

The brunette lifted her head and kissed the blondes forehead "Okay" she said, she moved her hand from Gail's hair and ran both her hands up and down the blondes back.

"Okay?" Gail asked "You're okay with all of this?" She was a little shocked.

Holly smiled "From what you told me this isn't going to happen anytime soon, we have time to get use to the idea and when the time comes we can make the decision together"

Gail smiled at her "Do you want to meet her tomorrow? I asked Trisha to meet me at a diner at 10 not far away for a late breakfast"

"Sounds like fun" Holly said and pulled Gail further on top of her, kissing her softly.

The blonde broke the kiss, she ran her fingers across her lovers face "Thank you for being open to this"

"I can tell this is important to you, if it's important to you, it's important to me and she's not a baby right she's..."

"8" Gail filled in for her.

"She's 8, this is a big commitment but I'm committed to you and us and if she comes with that then I'm committed to her too"

The blonde could feel the tears on her cheek "Thank you" she said again.

Holly looked over at the clock "If we're going to make that diner by 10 we need to get some sleep" it was already past 3 am.

Gail slid off the brunette, slightly to the side of her, her leg and arm still over her lover "I love you" she whispered.

"I love you too" Holly said, she tightened her arm around the blonde, pulling her as close as possible, she kissed her head.

It didn't take long for the exhausted pair to drift off.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Are you packed?" Gail asked as she walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed in jeans and black shirt, drying her hair.

"No" Holly said a little flustered "I haven't even unpacked" she said tugging her suitcase into the bedroom.

The blonde dropped her towel onto her shoulder, walked up behind her, grabbed the brunette by the hips and pulled her against her body "Hey it's ok, just grab a few things were only going up for the night"

Holly sighed and leaned against her "Okay" she said giving in, she'd wanted to get everything sorted this morning but her body wanted more of her girlfriend when they woke this morning and the time they took making love was the time she could have used unpacking and repacking.

"I'll go pack my car in a few minutes so you can get your things packed and we'll get to breakfast" she turned her around and gave her a kiss.

"Thank you" Holly said and gave her another kiss "With Sophie, was she with her mom when she died?"

Gail gave her a confused look wondering why she was asking "No, I went back to the building to look for any clues as to who she was and Sophie came into the laundry room looking for her"

The brunette nodded "So she shouldn't be suffering with any PTSD?"

The blonde shook her head and went towards the bathroom to hang up her towel "No, only me" she said with a grin "as far as I know, she's only suffering with the trauma of losing her mom, which is, you know, normal in this situation"

Holly heard the smart ass tone, she folded her arms and spoke "I'm only asking so I understand better, you did kinda spring this all on me" she usually loved bantering with Gail but not when she was trying to have a serious conversation, then it really bugged her.

"I didn't really mean that the way it sounded" the blonde said coming back to stand in front of the brunette "I'm sorry" she said rubbing her hands on her arms.

Holly uncrossed her arms and put them over Gail's shoulders "I want to learn what I can about her before we go okay, so I have some idea of what to say and do, get this right"

The blonde smiled at her "What would you like to know?"

0-0-0

Gail pulled the car in a spot and cut the engine, she looked over at her girlfriend "You ok?"

Holly looked over at her and smiled "Yea, a little nervous maybe but I'm good"

The blonde put her hand on the brunettes leg "She'll love you" their conversation about Sophie that morning had continued until they got in the car. They had talked about a lot of things, what she liked to eat, things she liked and other important stuff.

Holly nodded, she leaned over and kissed Gail "Let's do this"

When they got out of the car, they met at the front and joined hands, Gail linked their fingers and they headed inside.

"Gail" Sophie said the second they walked in, she ran over and threw herself at the blonde. Gail dropped Holly's hand and caught the girl in her arms, she tugged her up and rested her on her hip and they smiled at each other before Sophie turned her attention to the new person "Is this Holly?" She asked, pointing at the brunette.

"Yea" the blonde said proudly looking her girlfriend "This is Holly, Holly this is Sophie" she jiggled her hip bouncing the girl.

"Hi" the brunette said with a smile.

Sophie tucked her head into Gail's neck "Hi" she said shyly.

The blonde walked over to where Trisha was sitting "Trisha this is Holly Stewart" Gail said as she put the girl into her chair, sat in the one next to her

"Hi" Holly said shaking her hand.

"I've heard a lot about you, how was your conference?"

"Good" the brunette said sitting down, next to Gail "My publisher wants me to write another book so I guess I should say it was great"

"Wow" Trisha said.

"What are you gonna have Holly?" Sophie said interrupting the conversation.

Holly looked over at her "I'm not sure, what would you like to eat?" the brunette then briefly looked at her girlfriend who was watching the interaction.

"My favourite is pancakes with syrup and butter" Sophie told her "Sometimes I'm allowed to have a milkshake instead of juice" she turned to her foster mother "Can I have a milkshake today?"

"Of course but only because it's a special day" Trisha said.

"So what's your favourite milkshake?" Holly asked.

"Chocolate of course" the girl said like the brunette should of known.

Holly heard Gail snicker and kicked her boot under the table, she turned to the blonde "So Sophie and I are having pancakes and a chocolate shake, what about you?"

"I'm gonna have some pancakes too but I'll have coffee" the blonde said.

After getting Trisha's reques, Holly went and placed their order, paying for it all. Gail came up behind her as the server handed her back her card "You didn't have to pay for it all" she said.

"It's fine, it wasn't that much" they both looked at the table "She's cute" the brunette said.

Gail looked at her and took her hand "Your beautiful" the blonde said gave her a peck on the lips and led them back to the table.

0-0-0

During breakfast Trisha got a call and had to leave to pick up one of her other foster children from hockey, she left the girl with the two women so they could finish eating together. Once they were done they headed to the park so Sophie could run off the sugar she had eaten, when they started walking, Holly and Gail were holding hands and the young girl was on Gail's other side, eventually she moved around separating their hands and holding them herself. As they walked the girl asked questions, after hearing Holly was a scientist, she wanted her to answer every question she could think of, the first lot were easy 'why is the sky blue?', 'how do birds fly?' Things like that, after a little while she went quiet for a minute until she pulled both woman to a stop.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Gail asked squatting down next to her.

"Why did mom die?" She asked looking to Holly.

Both women exchanged a look of help, the brunette knew she'd have to answer, so she directed Sophie to a nearby bench "What did Gail and Trisha tell you?" She asked as they sat.

"That she had an accident and got hurt so bad that the doctors couldn't fix it and she's up in heaven watching me" Sophie said looking at Gail, the blonde, who was sitting next to her, took her hand.

"That's true" the brunette said, bringing the girls attention back to her "She will always watch you and love you and you know what?" She asked "You can talk to her anytime you want, you just talk and she'll hear"

"I know" Sophie said "But why did she die?"

Holly thought for a second, she wasn't really sure what to say, she looked to Gail who looked just as unsure "You know gods up in heaven right?" She asked.

"Yea mom and I use to go to church every Sunday"

"Well you see sometimes god needs a new angel and he picks some very special people to become angels" the brunette said.

The little girl looked up at Holly "Really mommy is an angel?"

"Really and he made sure that you have Trisha, Gail and I to help you" she added. Holly glanced up at Gail to see her smiling at her.

"So you'll be my friend like Gail is?" Sophie asked.

"Of course, I'll come visit you anytime"

The girl, who seemed happy with the brunettes answers, asked her "Can I go play?"

Holly looked to her girlfriend, who nodded "Sure" the girl took off to the play area.

Gail slid over next to the brunette, she put her legs over her lap, Holly lifted her arms and rested them on the blondes legs, one hand started rubbing the outside of her thigh "You are..." She couldn't think of the words to describe what she wanted to say, so instead she leaned forward and kissed her "You were wonderful with her" the blonde said resting her head on Holly's.

"Really?" The brunette asked "I almost died when she asked me that, give me science questions any day, stuff like that..." She didn't need to finish the sentence "I'm really not that great at it"

Gail pulled back and looked at her girlfriend "You're kidding right, I don't think my therapist could have handled it better" she took both of Holly's hands in hers.

They sat together quietly watching the girl play for a while, she would come back with another question for Holly ever now and then. Within about an hour Trisha appeared "thank you" she said as she came over "everything go ok?" She asked them.

Gail moved her legs off the brunette "It was good, one thing though, she was asking Holly questions about science stuff then she asked why her mom died"

The older woman gave her a look of surprise "Really?" Gail nodded "Wow, she doesn't usually talk about it, whenever she has an appointment with social services and they bring it up, she shuts down, when I bring it up she either walks away or ignores the question" She looked at Holly "She must feel she can trust you"

The brunette blushed "I didn't know what to say, I ended up telling her that her mom had to go to heaven because god needed a new angel" she pushed her glasses back up her face "I'm not sure where that came from because I am in no way religious"

Trisha just smiled at her "That's great, I probably would have said much the same thing"

Gail squeezed Holly's hand trying to reassure her.

"I actually need to get going" the older woman said.

The couple stood and walked over to the playground "Thank you for today" Gail said "And for letting us watch her"

"Anytime" Trisha said "She's always happy after your visits" she turned to Holly "it was lovely to meet you" she said shaking her hand "Hopefully we'll see a lot more of you"

"I hope so too" the brunette said.

They walked Sophie and Trisha back to the car, the girl hugged Gail first "Are you coming on Wednesday?" She asked.

"Of course" the blonde said back.

Sophie pulled away from Gail and looked up at Holly "Can you come too?"

The brunette looked at her girlfriend "When I can I take her out for pizza on Wednesday night"

"I wouldn't miss it" she said, the girl hugged her then climbed in the car.

0-0-0

"Hol?" Gail questioned, they had been in the car for about half an hour as the blonde drove them to the cabin, so far Holly hadn't spoken since they left Sophie.

The brunette jumped and looked at Gail "Sorry?" She said unsure what her girlfriend had said.

"Is everything ok?" The blonde asked

Holly sighed "I get it" she said.

"Get what?"

"Why you don't want to lose her to the system, why you want to save what's left of her innocence"

"But?" Gail asked sensing there was more she wasn't saying.

"There's no but" Holly said "I'm just trying to work some things out in my head"

"Can I ask what?" The brunette hadn't given any indication she was upset or not willing to be open to having Sophie in their lives but it didn't stop her worrying.

Holly put her hand on her knee and gave her a lopsided smile "Silly things really, what museum we could take her to, what school she should go to, if I should go for the chief position if it comes up so I can regulate my hours more"

"What?" The blonde said, unsure she heard her right, that maybe she'd just imagined it.

"I'm thinking about what I want to teach her about and show her, and what changes we need to make for her"

Gail checked the traffic, skipped across a lane, pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road and jumped out. Holly was shocked but thinks she knows what she was doing, just stayed in her seat and watched the blonde run around the car to her door, she threw it open "Really?" She undid the brunettes belt, grabbed her legs and tugged her around to she was facing her "Your really thinking those things?" Her hands were on her girlfriends legs.

Holly took Gail's face in her hands "Really, the second you held her on your hip, you both had this smile, just for each other and I just knew, you'll be a great mom and I'll do anything I can to help you with it" she kissed the blonde softly then looked her in the eye "We can't get ahead of ourselves..."

Gail interrupted "We?" She asked "I really don't expect..."

It was the brunettes turn to interrupt "Yes we, we are a we now Honey, if this is going to happen, we are doing it together, I want to do this with you, I'm over 30, It's not like I'm getting younger, kids may not have been in my immediate plan for us before but that doesn't mean they can't be in it now"

The blonde smiled "You are... so... I love you so much"

Holly smiled back "I love you too" she sighed a little, she didn't want to bring her girlfriend down but she needed to remind her this wasn't a done deal "As I was saying we can't get too ahead of ourselves, we still have to wait and see about her family, then if we can adopt that will take a while too, this may not turn out like we want"

Gail nodded "I know, whatever is best for her, even if it's not us" her eyes dropped to her girlfriends legs.

"Hey" Holly said, brushing her fingers on her cheek to get her to look up "No matter what, it's you and me, we might be able to be parents to Sophie, we might not. Someday honey, we'll be parents. We'll either adopt or have out own, we will do it though ok?"

Gail smiled then shook her head "This is crazy, over 3 weeks ago I was alone wondering if I had just destroyed the best thing that ever happened to me, now we're standing here talking about adopting and having kids"

Holly wrapped her legs around her girlfriend "Life's like that, mine certainly turned upside down the second you called me lunchbox"

Gail ran her hands up and down the legs around her "Are you sure?"

"Yes" the brunette answered, she gave the blonde a peck on the lips and rested their foreheads together "Move in with me" she whispered "I want to fall asleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning. I don't want to lose anymore time with you"

Gail grinned "What happened to no pressure?"

"Well, you haven't spent a night at your apartment since we worked things out and I figure were here talking about having kids so moving in together has to be less pressure than that" Holly explained.

"Touché" the blonde said "Let the U-Haul jokes begin"

The brunette ignored the quip "So?"

"I'd love to live with you" Gail kissed her then she tapped her leg "Let's get back on the road, I'd like to get up there before we have to come back"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"I like it" Holly said as they walked in the front door of the cabin.

"It's ok" Gail said putting the grocery bags in the kitchen nook "Oliver offered and I figured we could use the time alone after your conference"

The brunette walked up behind the blonde and pulled her against her "I love your idea"

Gail rested her hands on the arms around her waist "Good" she took Holly's hands and moved them from her waist towards her breasts.

The brunette stopped them "Come on, let's unpack the car then we can get into other activities" she held onto her girlfriend and walked them out the door, the blonde protesting all the way.

Once they'd unpacked the car, Gail collapsed on the couch and grabbed the remote. Holly disappeared into the bedroom without saying a word. The blonde flicked through the channels, not finding anything interesting she started to wonder where her girlfriend disappeared to until she heard a bang coming from the main bedroom "Hol?" She called.

"In the bedroom" she called back.

"What are you doing?" The blonde asked but didn't move.

"Remaking the bed with clean sheets" she said.

"I was going to do that later" Gail said "that's why I bought the clean ones"

"I know why, you and your germ thing" the brunette said "You could help though"

The blonde grinned to herself "You seem to be doing ok"

"Gail Peck, if you plan on having sex with me at all while we're here get your ass in here and help or you'll be on that couch taking care of yourself" Holly said.

Gail jumped off the couch and headed for the bedroom without another word.

0-0-0

Holly made them some sandwiches for lunch, they sat outside on the steps of the porch, looking over the water as they ate "So what is this book they want you to write?" Gail asked and took a sip of beer.

"They haven't really given me any restrictions on subject, as long as it's about forensic pathology in some way" Holly explained.

The blonde nodded "Any ideas?"

"None" the brunette said and chuckled.

Gail smiled at her "Oh I forgot to tell you, I'm gonna be working on the serial killer case, Traci and Sam asked Frank if Andy and I could be assigned, I figured it would get my mother off my back and might regulate my hours for a while to give us some more time" the blonde looked away as she said the last bit.

Holly smiled at her and took Gail's hand "Plus it looks good if you decide to go for detective rotation right?"

The blonde looked at her "Yea I don't know though, I'm happy being on the street for now. You'll find out next weekend that my mother wants me in a white shirt" she intertwined her fingers with her girlfriends "I know it would be safer" she squeezed the brunettes hand, knowing she worried about her every time she went to work "It's just not who I am, I am terrible at dealing with people I don't care about and I can't speak publicly, when I have done it I sweat and I have been known to puke"

Holly released Gail's hand and moved their now empty plates off their laps, sitting them on the step next to her "Come here" she grabbed her hand and pulled the blonde over the top of her so she was straddling her lap. She pulled her hands up around her neck and put her arms around Gail's waist "As much as I worry every time you go on shift until I know your done and safe I never want you to take a job you don't want to do, as I said before, no matter what you want to do I'll support you" she ran her hands up and down the blondes back "I think this morning kinda proves that I'll support what makes you happy"

Gail rested her forehead against Holly's "Thank you" she gave her a peck on the lips "Now, I think we should ban serious, emotional, future planning conversations from the rest of the weekend in favour of some more pleasurable activities" she added grinning.

"I can agree to that" Holly said one of her hands going up the back of the blondes T-shirt, she used the other one to pull Gail's head down "Give me 10 minutes and meet me in the bedroom" she whispered huskily in her ear.

The blonde shivered at her words, she nodded mutely and climbed off her lover who got up, kissed her head and headed inside. She pulled out her phone and set a timer for 10 minutes, grabbed the plates and headed inside. Gail quickly washed up what they use for lunch and sat down on the couch, it had only been two minutes. She sighed "Do I have to wait the whole 10 minutes?" She called out, tapping her foot.

"Yes" Holly said back "it won't kill you"

"That's what you think" the blonde said under her breath.

"If you need a distraction, grab some wood from the pile outside and we'll light the fire later" the brunette suggested from behind the door.

"So this is just a ploy to have me do manual labour" she said getting up.

"I'll never tell" Holly said back.

Gail bought the wood in and set it in the fire place, she even went and another armful so they wouldn't have to go back out again later. Just as she was washing her hands in the sink, the alarm on her phone sounded. Even though she wanted to run into the bedroom and jump her girlfriend, she took a second to compose herself and to turn her phone off then calmly walked to the bedroom door. When she saw Holly on the bed, she felt a flood of arousal and her knees almost gave out, she had to lean on the doorway for support. The brunette was wearing black stockings, black suspender belt, matching bra and very sheer, very small panties. The clincher was that white lab coat "Holly?" She said horsely.

"You like?" She asked, flipping part of the lab coat of her breast, revealing the very see through cups.

"Oh my god, like is not the word for it" Gail grinned and then added "I'm kinda soaked over here"

"Really?" Holly asked with a raised eyebrow "guess I'll have to check for myself" she moved towards the blonde getting on all fours and crawling across the bed.

The Gail groaned as another shudder ran through her "That is the hottest thing I've ever seen" she moaned, if the brunette didn't stop she would be a puddle on the floor.

Holly knelt on the end of the bed, she curled her finger in a come hither motion. Gail walked over as if she was being pulled by some invisible rope, she stopped in front of the beautiful brunette. Holly reached out and pushed the blondes jacket off her shoulders, who was looking down at the lace clad breasts "Gail?"

"Hmmmm?" She looked up at her lover with a deer caught in headlights look on her face.

The brunette grinned as she finished pulling the jacket off her arms "Are you alright?" She asked dropping the clothing on the floor.

Gail shook her head slightly, as if to try and shake the fog from her brain "I..." She swallowed. When Holly leaned in, kissing her neck and starting to undo her belt, the blonde suddenly regained her senses, she slid her arms around the brunettes waist and grinned at her "Fuck baby, you are so freaking hot right now" her hands wandered down onto Holly's lace covered behind "You do know that every time I see you at the lab from now on" she bought one hand back up and pulled her head up from her neck so their eyes meet "In your lad coat, I'm gonna see you like this" looking down again.

Holly put her fingers on Gail's chin and tilted her head up, her hand sliding around and resting on the blondes neck, she grinned at her "That was kinda the point"

Gail's other hand left the brunettes behind and she used them both to grab the doctor by the lab coat "Tease" she said, she was just pulling her in and stopped, she slid the glasses off Holly's nose and onto her head, she smiled and leaned in, she took the brunettes lips with her own, gently, tasting the beer she had just had, she was holding onto the lab coat wanting to draw the moment out, teasing her back a little. Holly put pressure on the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.

0-0-0-0


	9. Chapter Nine

disclaimer - I don't own anything if I did Holly would not move to San Francisco.

0-0-0

Chapter Nine

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail was fixing the fire as Holly came back with a plater with fruit and other snacks in her hand "Where did you learn to build a fire?" She asked as dumped a bag of cheese puffs on the other woman's lap, she sat down on the blankets they had laid out on the floor in front of the fire.

The blonde pulled the top blanket over them and they settled the food on top "Peck family survival training I've told you about" she popped a piece of Apple in her mouth and opened the chip packet.

"Don't you dare do that to our kids" the brunette said, she hated that her girlfriend didn't have a 'normal' childhood.

Gail smiled at the 'our kids' part "I wouldn't dream of it, Steve and I made a pact to never ever do it and if the other even suggested it, we have the right to kick their ass"

Holly chuckled, the Peck siblings had an interesting relationship "Good, so is there anything I need to know before I walk into this dinner next week, topics to avoid, things you want me to bring up" she winked at her lover.

The blonde smirked "You can talk about anything you like" she thought for a second then added "Don't mention Sophie just yet, kids yes, just not about her"

The doctor stole a cheese puff from the bag in front of Gail "I had assumed that no one else knew, they do gossip a lot at 15, it's your family Honey, tell them when your ready" she smiled at the blonde "Or you know invite them to her graduation"

Gail nudged her with her bare leg "I'll tell them, when there is actually something to tell"

"Like you told them about me" the brunette murmured loud enough for her to hear.

The blonde moved the food and straddled her "I told Steve"

Holly put her hands on the bare legs "You introduced us then spent the night holding my hand and hugging me so he put two and two together"

Gail tugged up the brunettes T-shirt, revealing her stomach "That is the Peck equivalent of introducing ones new girlfriend" she said in a snotty voice and tugged her lovers shirt over her head.

Holly did the same with the other woman's shirt, Gail pushed her back so she was now laying on top of her "I though we were stopping to recharge" she said as the blonde sucked on her neck.

"I'm ready" Gail said as she slipped her thigh between Holly's legs earning a gasp from her lover "Feels like you are too"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I need a weekend, to get over our weekend" Gail sighed and flopped face down on Holly's bed after they unloaded the car.

The brunette came and laid over the top of her "Well we could have actually slept more than a couple of hours you know" she pointed out.

"And miss out on having no interruptions, hell no" the blonde said from below her "Plus you doing that whole sexy doctor thing was to blame"

"Was that a complaint?" Holly said running her fingers up Gail's side where she knew she was ticklish.

The blonde wriggled underneath her "Hell no" she said and moved around so she could flip the brunette off her and onto her back, she climbed over her, straddled her and pinned hands against the mattress "I would never complain about that" she said, she leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips. She let go of her hands and laid against her chest.

Holly moved her hands up and ran her fingers through Gail's hair, she closed her eyes and moaned a little, the brunette looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table "What time are you on shift tomorrow?" She asked.

The blonde didn't open her eyes "8" she said "with being assigned to the case I'll be doing mostly 8 to 6" she yawned "Unless they find another site, then I'll get the call out no matter what time"

"You and me both" Holly said, she moved her hands to the blondes back "We should get to bed, it's already nearly midnight"

"Well if we hadn't started fooling around again when we were cooking our lunch we might have made it back at a decent hour" Gail said not looking up, eyes still closed.

"That was you, you jumped me while I was cooking"

The blonde looked up "Me?" She exclaimed "You should wear more than just my academy hoodie when your in the kitchen" Gail smirked "I think you planned it, you weren't even wearing underwear"

Holly just smiled back at her "Come on" she said, she gave her a kiss "I wanna get some sleep"

The blonde reluctantly got up, and they got ready for bed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Dov" Gail called after him as he left parade.

"What's up?" He said coming back.

She pulled him back in the now empty parade room "How's Chris?" She asked as he sat in a chair.

"He's ok, he's allowed visitors now" he sighed "I know you won't do it but he wants you to go see him"

"Maybe" she said "I'm moving out" she watched him frown, then smile.

"Holly wants to do the whole U-Haul thing huh?" Dov said with a smug grin.

Gail rolled her eyes "If she was a guy you wouldn't say that" she kicked at his leg but he moved it.

"That's true" he agreed "You sure your ready?"

"I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't" she pointed out "I'm not asking your opinion, the point is by the end of the week most of my stuff should be gone, I'll get Steve to help me with the big stuff on Sunday" the blonde wasn't on the lease so leaving quickly didn't really matter.

"Alright" he said "I've been thinking about asking Chloe to move in anyway"

Before anymore could be said Andy stuck her head in "Gail we gotta go, it's not like this place is around the corner" The blonde rolled her eyes at Dov and pulled a face, he chuckled as she walked out "How's Chris?" Andy asked.

"Fine as far as I know" Gail said not really wanting to talk about him again, she still wasn't happy with the man, he had stolen from her and betrayed her trust.

"You haven't been to see him?" The brunette asked, sounding almost like an accusation.

"Nope" the blonde said, she pushed open the door out to the car park "Have you?"

"I've been busy" Andy said her tone guilty.

"So have I" Gail opened the trunk on the squad car "I'll go see him eventually"

McNally nodded as she got in the car "How are you and Holly going?"

The blonde looked at her "Really, you wanna do this?"

The brunette shrugged her shoulders "We have about a 2 hour drive to the prison, I thought we could talk things out" they were driving out to the prison to follow up on an old case for Sam to clear the man of being responsible for one of the bodies, they were certain he didn't do it but it needed to be checked.

Gail pulled the car out of the lot "I really don't think we should"

"Gail"

"Look McNally, your happy with Sam, I'm happy with Holly, Nick is an after thought in both our lives, the end" the blonde pulled up at a coffee shop near the station "Do you want anything? She offered.

Andy asked for a coffee and offered her money, she refused it. She went in then placed their order, sat down and pulled out her phone.

"Hey Honey" Holly said when she answered.

"Hey, how's the sexy doctor doing this morning?" Gail said with a smirk.

"You tell me, you almost made us late when you joined me in the shower" the brunette countered.

"Any interesting cases?" The blonde asked with a smile, watching to see when her order was ready.

"I'm mainly working on the serial case, unless some other homicide or suspicious death comes in, the higher ups want it to be the priority" the doctor explained "we need to get some names for these women"

"McNally and I are driving up to the prison to check if our only identified woman's ex was in town when she died" the barista called Gail over "They're certain he didn't do it but it's a lose end that needs tying up to secure the case in the future" she put the lids on the cups.

"4 hour round trip with Andy, that'll be fun for you, call me if the desire to inflict pain on her gets to great" Holly said with a slight chuckle.

The blonde smiled to herself "Me? never" she said, with fake shock "Anyway we had better hit the road, don't forget to eat and I'll see you tonight"

"I won't, oh did you talk to Dov?"

"Yea, he's cool, he mentioned he was thinking about asking Chloe to move in anyway"

"Good, drive safe, let me know your there in one piece" the brunette said "I love you"

"I love you too"

They said their goodbyes and Gail headed out to get back on the road.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Holly?" Traci called as she came into the brunette's office.

"In here" Holly called from the room across the hall where all the evidence for the case was being stored.

"Wow" the detective said to the well organised lines of boxes "I'm assuming you have a system"

The doctor got up from the desk she was sitting at, she picked up a nearby clipboard and handed it to her "Every box is numbered, each victim has 2 boxes and no I don't have any other names yet, I'm just going through what was processed while I was away"

"No pressure, we've got plenty of leads to run down yet" Traci looked at the clipboard "But if there's anything that stands out that could give us something to work with..."

"There was something that I noticed, I'm not sure what it means though" Holly pulled out the autopsy reports "There's a pattern to the actual killings, the killer ties them up sexually assaults them then cuts their throats, the victims are all women"

"We knew that"

"What I noticed is he doesn't have a type, most of these cases as you know, especially when they involve a sex act have a specific type, blonde, brunette, thin, over weight, white, Hispanic. These women are all different none of them are the same, do you understand what I mean?"

Traci nodded "it's a good point actually, thanks" she lifted the files "Can I take these?"

"They're your copies, I was going to bring them by when I had lunch and point out what I realised"

"I was thinking about having a dinner one night this week, Sam, Andy, Gail and I to lay out the case, have a brainstorming session, I'd like you to come too if you can, you understand the evidence better than anyone"

"Sounds good, we could do it at our place, we have lots of space, I'll make dinner or we could order in?" The brunette said, not realising her slip.

"Our place?" Traci said one eyebrow raised.

"Crap" Holly muttered she blushed "I asked Gail to move in again on Saturday, she said yes" the detective went to speak, but she stopped her "You can't tell her I told you, I didn't really though, I just slipped up, it wasn't on purpose..."

"Holly?" Traci said, stopping her ramble "it's alright, I'm happy for you two, she smiles more and is less snarky with you, and no I won't mention I know, is that ok though, 4 of us invading your space"

"I offered" the brunette said a little calmer "and who's the forth?"

"Steve, we could use another set of eyes, plus I'm not spending the evening alone with two couples"

Holly laughed, she knew how bad her and Gail were, she could only imagine what Sam and Andy were like. They worked out that Friday night would be the best time for their get together, Traci had already bought up the idea to Sam so they were free and Leo was with Dex that weekend so she was free. The brunette only needed to clear it with Gail.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Well that was a waste of a day" Gail said as she walked into Holly's office hours later, holding two cups of tea and a bag of Chinese takeaway. She put the things on the brunettes desk and pulled her up so she could hold her "Mmmmm" she murmured as Holly's arms wrapped around her.

"Long day?" Holly asked, the blondes head was on her shoulder.

"Stuck in a car with McNally wanting to talk about feelings sucked" she said pouting.

"Yuck" the brunette agreed, she grabbed the short hair on the back of her girlfriends head and pulled it off her shoulder, she gave her a quick kiss "Hi" she said with a smile.

Gail smiled back "Hi Beautiful" she gave her a kiss back "I bought you dinner, I'm gonna head to the apartment to do some packing"

"Are you eating with me first?"

"Yea, I got us that beef dish you liked" she explained.

"It's only six, I could have cooked when we got home" Holly said, she moved her hands up inside the blondes leather jacket she was wearing.

"Yea but you don't finish until 9 and did you eat lunch today?" Gail asked.

The brunette blushed "I was busy"

The blonde kissed her "Thats why we should eat now" she moved away and got the containers out "plus when you finish tonight we can go home and relax"

Holly smirked at her as she got the forks out she kept in the drawer for the times they ate in her office, she handed one to Gail who dug straight into her food "You mean so we can go home and have sex"

The blonde swallowed and grinned "Same thing"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Thanks for picking me up" Gail said as she climbed into the passenger seat of Holly's car, Wednesday evening.

"Well I did drop you off" Holly said with a smile, she leaned over and kissed the blonde "Do you wanna go home first or straight to pick her up?"

"Home if that's ok, we're not due to pick her up just yet" the blonde rested her hand on her girlfriends leg "How was your day?"

"I got a break from the case today, gang related homicide came in, saw your brother too" Holly explained "He bought up dinner on Saturday, he's bringing Traci and Leo"

"Yea, he's using the give Elaine to many new people to deal with tactic to take the heat of us" Gail said with a smirk "Plus he figures it will be easier on both of you if your first Peck family dinner is together"

"You disagree?"

"Yup" the blonde said "Superintendent Elaine Peck won't let a simple thing like that fluster her"

Upon hearing Gail's tone Holly knew it was time to change the subject "So I called my lawyer today..."

The blonde frowned and looked at her "Why?"

"I wanted to find out what our chances are and what exactly we would need to do if we get the chance to adopt Sophie" the brunette explained as she pulled into the driveway at home. She looked over at Gail who looked shocked "I want to make sure we have the best chance to be her permanent home when the time comes"

The blonde grabbed her hand before she could get out of the car "Really?"

Holly tilted her head "Of course, Honey I said I'm in this with you and I am"

They got out of the car and headed inside "So what did he say?" The blonde asked once they were inside.

"Basically that we need to make sure that we are the best option for her, solid home, both employed that sort of thing, the fact that you've been involved since her mother passed away is a big plus"

Gail nodded "Anything we need to take care of, that we need to fix?"

"He's looking into some of it for me, he said he'd call by Monday" the brunette explained.

The blonde pulled her girlfriend against her, the we're standing in the kitchen "Thank you" she said resting their foreheads together.

"Anytime" Holly said.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They picked up Sophie on time and headed to the pizza restaurant Gail liked to take her to, once they'd placed their order, Holly had gotten a call, she headed outside to take it. When she came back she found the pair playing on Gail's iPad "When you play hangman, you need to do the vowels first" the blonde was explaining.

Sophie frowned and looked up at her "Which ones are they again?"

As Gail explained, she pushed the buttons "A, E, I, O..."

"U" the girl finished for her, Holly smiled and walked to the table.

"You two having fun?" She asked as she sat down.

"We're playing hangman" Sophie explained "I'm not sure what the word is though" she said "Can you help me?"

The brunette looked at her girlfriend, who nodded. She tapped the empty seat next to her. Sophie moved over into it huddling with Holly, the doctor checked out the lettering and smiled at Gail "Maybe you should try S" she suggested.

The girl hit the s button and started grinning, she looked over at the blonde "I know what it is" she entered the other letters and smiled up at Holly showing her the screen "Gail did my name" she told her.

"Do you want me to help you do a word for Gail?" The brunette suggested.

The girl started nodding excitedly "A hard one so I can win" she said.

The blonde opened her mouth in shock, she had no idea that Sophie was that competitive "Not too hard" she said giving her lover the evil eye.

Holly just winked at her then typed in a word, she showed the girl who nodded madly and hit the enter button.

Gail took the iPad back, she did what she told Sophie, vowels first. The other two were whispering to each other, the blonde watched them for a minute, happy to see, what were fast becoming the two most important people in her life, getting on so well.

"Have you guessed it yet?" The girl asked excited.

"Not yet" she said and went back to the game.

Holly watched the blonde concentrating and smiled, she liked this version of Gail, the version that had no front, the version that it had seemed was reserved just for her until the little girl came along, she was very happy to share this side of her girlfriend with Sophie because it meant she got to see more of it.

"Got it" the blonde said and turned it to show them, the word was science.

They continued playing the game, with Holly helping Sophie as she had miss spelt a few words which made guessing them hard, until the pizza came.

When they were eating Gail bought up that she and Holly were going to be living together.

"Will I be able to visit?" The young girl asked them, looking at the brunette.

"Of course" Holly answered "You can come see us anytime"

She looked down at her pizza and then up at Gail "Will I be able to live with you guys one day?"

The two women looked at each other, Trisha had said the little girl might ask this one day and to answer honestly, so she did "Well right now the social services people are looking for your aunty, if they find her you'll probably go stay with her"

Sophie shook her head "What if I don't want to?"

Holly stepped in "If you do go, we will come visit you all the time and maybe you can come and visit us"

Gail continued "If they can't find your aunty or you can't go stay with her, then maybe if social services let us you might be able to come stay with us" she looked over at the brunette who just smiled at her.

Sophie seemed happy with that and took a bite from her pizza "what kind of house do you live in?" She asked Holly.

When they returned Sophie home, Gail told Trisha what she had asked and how they answered, she explained to the blonde that she had been asking her similar questions about her and Holly since she'd met the brunette last weekend. She told her not to worry and just let the little girl know that they will be there no matter what happens.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail walked in the front door of the house, on Friday night, carrying another box from the apartment, she had spent any spare time she had over there packing things up, usually while Holly was still working after she was off shift "Hey" the brunette said to her as she came in "You have anymore in the car?"

The blonde rested the box on the counter "No, mainly big things left, Steve and Dov will help me bring it over with Chris's truck on Sunday"

"Speaking of Steve, he and Traci should be here soon" the brunette went over and gave her a quick kiss "Can do me a favour and move those to the spare room upstairs please?" she asked pointing to the pile of boxes of Gail's things that had been getting higher in the the sitting room since the decision was made for her to move in "We really need the space tonight"

The blonde sighed "Why didn't you tell me to do that when I bought them in?" She whined going over to the pile.

"I thought we'd have time to take care of it before today" Holly explained as she went back to cooking.

"Why we have to do this little meeting here I'll never know" Gail grumbled as she picked up the top two boxes.

"We have the most space and I didn't think you'd be comfortable at Andy's" the brunette said not looking up.

"Whatever" the blonde said under her breath and headed up the stairs.

Holly smiled to herself, Gail had been complaining about this since Monday night when she had told her about the plans for this get together. Her main problem was having Andy there, the blonde wouldn't admit it but she was still hurt that the other woman had betrayed her trust, she may even in the back of her mind worry that she could lose her girlfriend to her as well. When she heard her lover stomp back down the stairs to get another load of boxes, she met her at the bottom step "Honey, it's for the case ok, not because I want Andy here" she put her hands on her hips.

Gail pouted at her "I know" she rested her hands on Holly's shoulders "I just.."

The brunette kissed her softly "You don't have to explain, I get it" she kissed her again "Once you've put the boxes upstairs there's a bag on our bed I need you to look through, see if you want any of it"

The blonde nodded, she knew Holly had been cleaning things out of her closet to make room for her things, kissed her and went back to what she was doing.

The brunette went back to finish cooking the pasta and chocolate chip cookies she was making.

After half a dozen more trips up and down the stairs the house went quiet for five minutes then Holly heard the Gail exclaim "No fucking way" she grinned to herself and continued taking the last of the cookies out of the oven, she heard her partner thundering down the stairs as she turned around she appeared on the other side of the kitchen bench "You bought this for me?" She asked holding up the bag.

"Well, I know you liked playing the one the boys had, you mentioned Dov bought this one and those games the other day and I figured you can play against him from here" she played with the fabric on the bottom of her shirt "And maybe you could teach me how to play too"

The blonde gave her the biggest smile put the bag on the bench and walked around the island, she took Holly in her arms and kissed her "I can't believe you bought me a Playstation 4, they're not cheap"

"I know, but you've gotten me so many things over the last few weeks that cost a hell of a lot more so it's only fair" the brunette leaned in and kissed her, softly at first but Gail deepened it, she slid her hands down to Holly behind as they kissed and lifted her onto the bench.

Just as her hands slid under the button up shirt the brunette was wearing the doorbell sounded, the blonde broke the kiss "If we ignore them do you think they'll go away?" She asked.

The doorbell went off again with knocking added as well "I don't think so" Holly said as she wrapped her arms around the blondes neck, she gave her one last kiss.

Gail backed up and went to open the door, the brunette took two seconds to compose herself and joined her to greet their guests.

0-0-0

They had all the files laid out on the table, each one with all the photos, reports, notes and evidence logs attached, they had eaten the pasta Holly cooked and the pizza Traci had bought and were now onto coffee and cookies and had started working "Ok so far we have 8 women, all raped, murdered and dumped the same way at two different sites" Sam said summing it up.

"But no victim type" Traci added "They're all different and we've only identified one"

Holly handed them both a print out "With some help from some of my contacts I've managed as of an hour ago to identify all but one of them, on the other one, I'm waiting for my friend from New York to get back to me"

Traci looked at Sam then back at Holly "This is amazing".

The brunette looked to Gail who was next to her grinning, she shrugged "We needed it done, if you notice only one girl is from Toronto, everyone else is from out of town, one so far from the US and I'm fairly certain the other is from New York, I'm just waiting for confirmation on the dental records"

"That's why you had trouble identifying them" Steve said "This guy is getting out of town girls, because they aren't missed straight away"

"And if there from all over the place it takes longer for someone to put it together" Gail added.

"Do you have any suspects?" Steve asked.

Sam shook his head "We've run down most of the leads we had, having the names might give us something. We can at least work out a timeline as to when these women went missing"

"From the looks of this list, they went missing roughly a month apart but there's a six month gap in between the groups" Traci said.

"Which could mean he got disturbed and backed off..." Sam started.

"Or there's another dump site" Andy finished for him.

They all went silent swallowing the information, Gail got up and offered a refill on coffee to break the tension, Traci offered help and followed her into the kitchen "Another possible six victims" the blonde said to her friend "Just the thought of it makes me sick"

This comment made her realise something "Oh Gail I'm sorry I didn't even think, I'll get Frank to reassign you on Monday"

The blonde frowned at her "What, Why?"

"I didn't think how this would affect you, after..." She hated even saying his name herself and she wasn't the one who was abducted by him.

Gail dropped the frown "Trace I'm fine, I just hate the idea that another 6 women might have died because of this prick and who knows he might already have another one" she shuddered "just makes me feel sick to see some of the crap humans are capable of that's all"

Traci breathed a sigh of relief "I'm glad, I don't really know that we would have gotten anywhere without Holly, she's the one making the breaks in this one"

Gail narrowed her gaze at her friend "Are you using me for my girlfriend?"

The detective laughed "Would you be offended if I said yes?"

The blonde shrugged "She's the smartest person I know, I'd be offended if you didn't use me for her"

0-0-0

They spent the next couple of hours working out plans of where to go from there, Come Monday morning, Sam and Traci would work out the timeline for when they went missing and contact the family members. Gail and Andy would follow up with the places they had stayed to try and work out exactly when they disappeared. Steve would use some of his connections see if anyone knew anything about the girls and Holly would continue doing what she did best and that was looking at the evidence, see if it could lead them closer to the killer.

Sam and Andy left when they were finished "So ready for tomorrow night?" Steve asked as he, Holly and Traci, cleaned up the files.

"No" Gail answered from the kitchen.

"You're never ready, I was asking Holly anyway" he said, she stuck her tongue out at him and went back to washing up.

"Well as ready as I can be" the brunette said "I've been well warned"

"I'll give you the best piece of advice I can about how to handle our mother, don't let her see that she gets to you, if she see's even one crack she will go after it" Steve looked to the kitchen "this trick, unfortunately, Gail is yet to master" he said so she wouldn't hear.

Holly nodded "I'll remember that"

They finished cleaning up and said good night. "I'm going to shower before bed, I had a floater today, showered at work and I still feel gross" Holly said after they saw them out, heading towards the stairs.

"I was gonna say you stink but I thought it might be rude with company" Gail said and dodged away before she could react.

"Just for that you're not invited" the brunette said and walked upstairs with a pout.

The officer knew she was joking so she set about setting up the Playstation instead of biting back. She hadn't done it before, she spent a good ten minutes reading the book on how to before trying. She was bent over behind Holly's large LCD screen, when the brunette returned, towel wrapped around her wet hair, she stood for a few seconds and admired her lovers ass "I must say I do like this view" she commented as she finally sat down on the couch.

Gail jumped, not expecting her back yet, she stuck her head up and gave the other woman a smirk "You really are an ass woman aren't you?" she commented and went back to what she was doing.

"Not really but after seeing your ass in that uniform and when it's presented to me like that wrapped in denim, it's kinda hard not to be into yours" Holly explained as she loosened the towel on her head to dry her hair.

The blonde stood up, done with her task, she pushed the tv back into its place "Never took you as a badge bunny" she said with a grin as she looked at the woman on the couch.

"I'm not" the brunette said "I just happen to find my girlfriend extremely attractive in her work uniform, no one else"

Gail went back to the bag to pull out the extra controllers and games "Is this your geek speak way of telling me you think I look hot in my uniform?"

Holly stopped rubbing her head and ran her fingers through her hair "I think I've already told you that a few times but yes, I find you very sexy when your all geared up"

The blonde quirked an eyebrow "Maybe one of these days we'll introduce the sexy doctor to the hot cop" she said making her eyebrows jump suggestively.

Holly shook her head "and you call me a nerd" she mumbled.

"I heard that" Gail said coming over and standing in front of her.

"You were suppose to" the brunette said putting her hands on her hips and pulling her down on top of her. The blonde put the things down on the coffee table and sat astride her lap, Holly pulled her into a kiss and let her hand slip inside Gail's shirt, running her nails across her abs, her lover shuddered involuntarily "Are you planning on playing that or are you taking me to bed?" She asked as her lips moved to her neck and she unbuttoned the blondes jeans.

"Well..." Gail said shakily "I'm thinking the game can wait" she pulled herself away from Holly, tugged her to her feet and let them upstairs to the bedroom.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, Holly woke hearing Gail sobbing in her sleep, she turned over and took her girlfriend in her arms, pulling her naked body against her own from behind "Shhhh" she whispered "it's ok, I'm here" She continued crying, the brunette shook her a little "Gail, honey, wake up" The blonde was now mumbling in her sleep, still caught in the dream "Come on love, wake up" Holly said a bit louder and lifted herself onto her elbow.

"Hol?" Gail said in a very croaky voice, she'd obviously been crying for a while.

"You were crying in your sleep" she explained as the blonde rolled over to face her, she wiped at her cheeks to find them wet.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you" Gail said sounding very small.

"Nonsense" Holly said pulling her into her arms "if you didn't wake me I'd be upset" the blonde settled against her chest, relaxing "Do you remember it?"

"Not really just snippets, it might just be the case" the blonde explained "I'll call my therapist on Monday" she said looking up, she hated that Holly had to see this, see her fall apart every second night.

"Only if you feel you need to" the brunette offered running her fingers through her hair, she didn't want Gail to feel she had to do it for her.

"I should, the dreams are getting more frequent, so I think it's about time I saw her again"

"Ok" Holly said "Do you want to try and sleep?" She kissed the top of Gail's head "Or we could get started on our game lessons and sleep later?"

0-0-0

Ten minutes later the pair were curled up, still naked, on the couch with blankets wrapped around them, Gail was laying with her back against Holly as she taught her the basics of the first game. The blonde looked up at her girlfriend and pulled her down into an upside down kiss "What was that for?" The brunette asked.

"For understanding and staying up with me" she said still looking up at her.

"Anytime" Holly said brushing her fingers over her cheek "Now explain to me again how to aim and shoot"

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A/N - before anyone asks no the killer will not get Holly or Gail.


	10. Chapter Ten

disclaimer - I own nothing aside from the characters I create and do not profit from it.

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Chapter Ten

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Holly woke early, around dawn, feeling stiff and tired, she looked down at Gail who was fast asleep against her bare chest, the game cycling through it's title screen repeatedly. When she had started to doze, she had put the controller down but her girlfriend had continued playing, she must have eventually crashed as she was still out, cutely holding the controller up to her chin. Her other hand joined with Holly's. The brunette's body couldn't wait for her lover to wake, so she nudged her "Gail, Honey, I need to pee"

"So go" she said snuggling in further.

"I would but you're laying on me"

Gail lifted herself up looking confused, she glanced around the room and at the controller in her hand "Oh" she mumbled and sat up so the brunette could get out, as Holly went to the downstairs bathroom, she shut the game system down and used the remote to turn off the TV, then laid back down.

She was dozing again when Holly tapped her "Come on, let's go back to bed" she lifted the blanket of Gail and wrapped it around herself she was cold from her bathroom visit.

"Hey" the blonde said looking up.

The brunette opened the blanket "Bed" was all she said, Gail got up, wrapped her arms around her lover who covered them with the blanket and they headed upstairs, back to bed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

They were woken again a few hours later by a two phone calls, Gail's cell phone, then within a few seconds Holly's went too. The blonde who was facing the bedside table reached out for her phone "What?" She said, without checking the caller ID.

"Good morning to you too" Traci said.

Holly had picked up her phone, grabbed her robe and headed to the bathroom.

"Sorry" she said "Bad night" she didn't need to explain with the detective, she knew what it meant.

"I'm sorry" Traci said "It wasn't important, I just wanted to check in"

Gail sighed a bit relieved "I thought you were calling about another dump site, Holly's phone just rang too"

"Not that I've heard and pretty much the whole of the Toronto PD has been told to call us if they find one"

Holly came back in the room and started getting clothes out "Hang on" Gail said to her friend "Everything ok?" She asked her lover.

"There's a shooting victim, they think it's a suicide I need to go to the scene and organise transport back to the morgue" Holly explained not sounding overly happy.

"No dump site" Gail said to Traci "I'll call you back" she said and ended the call, she pulled the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her "I thought you had this weekend off again?" She asked as she wrapped the brunette in the blanket too.

Holly wrapped her arms around Gail's naked body "I do, the other pathologist Dr Davidson is halfway through an autopsy and 27 won't hold the scene to wait for him so I need to go, thankfully he will be done by the time the other body arrives and I won't have to stick around, just send him my photos and notes" she ran her hands up and down the blondes back "I'm sorry I know we had plans to do nothing all day before facing tonight"

Gail gave her a kiss "It's okay, I'll get some unpacking done"

Holly quirked an eyebrow at her "Really?"

The blonde frowned "I am perfectly capable of unpacking, I'll do my side of the closet and we can do the other stuff together if you want to supervise" she snarked a little on the last bit.

"Sounds good" Holly said and kissed her ignoring her attitude.

As the brunette pulled away, the blonde tugged her back in "Not yet" she said, she slid her hands inside the robe, dropped the blanket and kissed her hard, their tongues meeting when she fused their mouths together, Holly broke the kiss and rested her forehead on the naked blondes.

"What was that for?" She asked breathlessly.

"To remind you what awaits the sexy doctor when she gets home" Gail headed towards the bathroom, making sure to swing her naked behind just enough to tease the brunette just a little bit more.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Traci was sitting on Holly and Gail's bed as the blonde was unpacking her wardrobe into the closet "So should I worry about tonight?" The detective asked "I mean I was an unwed young mother, I'm sure she's already run a background check on me"

Gail stuck her head out of the closet "I wouldn't worry too much, you have the newly outed lesbian daughter and her girlfriend coming too, that should take some of the heat off"

"True" Traci said "So are you worried about tonight?"

The blonde sighed and moved over to pick up more clothes of the bed "Yes and no, yes because I don't really want Holly to see what she's like and I don't want her to pick on her and no because I know there's nothing she could say or do to come between us" she walked back into the closet.

"So if your not that worried, was the cause of the bad night the usual?" She asked.

Gail didn't answer straight away, she stood in the closet and took a breath, sometimes she felt like Traci was the only one who was close to understanding but then she felt bad talking to her about it because of Jerry "Yea, the nightmares are back" she said.

The detective appeared in the doorway of the walk in closet "I take it Holly knows?" She asked.

"She knows everything, we talked about most of it when we were just friends, she found out about the dreams when we started sleeping together, the first night I think I scared her" the blonde was looking at the hoodie in her hands, it was Holly's the one she'd worn when they went to the batting cages, she slipped it on then sat on the floor leaning on the wall at the end of the closet "Since then she's been great about it, I had a couple while she was away, I'd call her and she'd offer to come home, she sat up with me for most last night after she woke me cos I was crying in my sleep, that's why we were asleep at 11" she explained "She's..." She looked up at her friend "I really can't describe it, she's everything" she brushed a tear away from her cheek that snuck out.

"She loves you" Traci said moving over to sit next to Gail "She really does adore you"

"I can't believe I almost ruined it, well I did, she was just willing to give me a chance"

"I've said it before, you deserve to be happy, at the time I said it I thought we were discussing men but..."

"That night I actually cancelled my blind date and went out drinking with Holly" the blonde said with a smile as she tucked her hands into the pockets of the jacket.

The detective chuckled "Ok so maybe we were talking about her then too, anyway just stay open with her, don't become closed up and you won't screw it up"

"Gail?" The subject of their conversation called from downstairs.

"Upstairs" she called out, neither woman moved.

"Where are you?" Holly said as she walked in the bedroom, she dropped her bag on the bed.

"In here" the blonde said.

The doctor stuck her head in the closet "Oh" she said surprised, she leaned on the doorway "I know we're having dinner with your family tonight but there's no need to go back in the closet"

Traci laughed, Gail who wanted to sass back lost it when the woman next to her laugh "We were just doing some unpacking, well I was unpacking, Traci was distracting me"

"Sure" Holly said "Can I interest either of you in a cup of tea and doughnuts ?"

"Make it coffee and I'm there" the detective said getting up.

"Yea I could use coffee too" the blonde agreed "Have to be on my game for tonight"

Traci excused herself to use the bathroom.

Gail got up and stood in front of Holly "Hi" she said and kissed her.

The brunette put her hands on the blondes chest, grabbing the lapels of the hoodie "Hi" she kissed her back "Nice jacket"

Gail smiled at her "I like it" Holly slid her arms around her under the fabric, rested her head on her shoulder and sighed. The blonde wrapped her arms around her "Rough one?"

"Suicide, he was 15" she murmured.

Gail could tell she didn't want to talk about it, Holly was a talker and the lack of detail was a sign to just leave it alone until she was ready "I'm sorry" she whispered and kissed her temple. The brunette held onto her and didn't seem to want to let go "Baby?"

"Mmmm?" Holly mumbled.

"I can ask Traci to go if you need me" she offered.

The brunette pulled away, her hands staying on the blondes waist, not wanting to let her go now she had her "Don't do that, I want her to stay..."

"You just need me" Gail finished for her.

"Hey guys" Traci called from the bedroom door.

The blonde gave her clingy girlfriend a kiss took her hand and let them out "We're coming" she said.

0-0-0

They had coffee, tea and doughnuts with Traci, Holly almost sitting on Gail's lap. When the brunette released her long enough to say good bye to the detective, Traci took the opportunity to ask what was going on.

"It's the call she had" the blonde explained putting her hands in the pockets of the hoodie "Suicide, 15 year old, she hasn't told me anymore but I do know that any cases involving kids really get to her"

Traci nodded "I get it" she said, she patted her friends shoulder "Look after her, I'll see you tonight"

Gail waited till she pulled out and turned went back inside, she walked into the kitchen, Holly was leaning against the bench spinning her cell phone against the surface. The blonde wrapped her arm around her shoulders "Do you want lunch?" She offered. The brunette continued to spin the phone, she didn't answer just rested her head on Gail's shoulder. The blonde kissed her head, she grabbed the phone to stop it "Come on" she said

0-0-0-0-0-0

Within about 20 minutes Gail pulled her car into the parking lot of the batting cages, she went and got the gear handing it to Holly, she looked at her "You hit till your ready to talk or until it's out of your system, I don't care if we miss dinner, I care about how your feeling right now" Gail gave her a kiss then put the helmet on her head, handed her the bat and pushed her into the cage. She hit the button to start the balls flying, after that instinct in the brunette took over. She hit ball after ball, they must have been there for over an hour, used up almost all of the cash Gail had before the brunette pulled off the helmet and joined her on the bench outside, the blonde held out a bottle of water for sweat soaked girlfriend. Holly drank then looked at her love "He was 15 Gail, he barely knew what life was" she looked down at the bottle, pulling at the label "There was a note, he was gay and his family didn't accept it, they kicked him out, told him he wasn't their son anymore" she stood up and pitched the bottle against the fence.

Gail jumped at the action, she'd seen the brunette passionate about things but she was angrier than she'd ever seen her "Baby?" She said as she stood to approach her.

She turned around "Why would anyone do that?" She walked to her girlfriend "I don't understand how anyone could walk away from their child?"

"I don't know" Gail answered honestly, she took the brunettes hands now understanding why she'd been clingy and quiet since coming back.

"I'm doing his autopsy on Monday, I told Davidson it's my case, I couldn't face it today but I at least want to give him the best I can" she said squeezing her hands and linking their fingers.

"I'll blow off tonight" Gail said "I'm not putting you through that, not after me last night and this today"

"Gail" Holly said tilting her head "Don't you ever think that your nightmares and problems are a burden to me, love you and that means I love everything about you" she dropped her hands and held her face "You ever even think that you can't discuss it with me or wake me up if your scared we are gonna have some serious issues"

Gail rested her hands on Holly's arms she gave her a small smile "Hol, I get it, but that doesn't mean we should go tonight"

"On the contrary I think it will be a perfect distraction" the brunette said and kissed her, she gave her a smile, the first one since she'd come home earlier "Your just trying to get out of it" she added as her hands moved to the blondes neck.

"Hell yea I am" Gail put her arms around Holly's waist "Are you ready to go or do you need to get more of it out of your system?"

"I'm good for now, I've got some boxing gear at home if I need more stress relief" she said as let her go and she grabbed the gear.

The blonde shook her head "Me and boxing, I don't think so"

"What do you suggest?" Holly asked.

"You, me, our bed, naked" Gail said as she slowly unzipped the doctors hoodie she was still wearing.

The brunette grinned "My my Officer Peck" she said putting the gear down, she stalked to the blonde, stopped in front of her, she looked her up and down "You talk a big game but can you follow through"

Just the look in Holly's eye made her shudder.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail was finishing her make up as Holly stepped out of the shower "What's the time?" She asked as she started drying herself.

"We have over an hour and a half till we're suppose to be there so in Elaine Peck time we have an hour" the blonde said as she finished. She turned around "Do I look ok?"

Her girlfriend smiled at her "Beautiful as always" she said and kissed her lightly.

Gail grabbed her head and kissed her properly "And that is the reason I won't put lipstick on till we get there"

Holly smirked and wrapped the towel around herself "What time is Steve picking us up?"

"In half an hour" the blonde said "So you need to move" she said and whacked her on the ass as she left the room.

"You'll pay for that Peck"

"I'm counting on it Stewart"

0-0-0

Within half an hour they were sitting on the stools at the kitchen bench, Gail in her boots, jeans, low cut black top and long black jacket, Holly wearing jeans, heels blue button up with a black tank top underneath, sharing a beer, awaiting Steve's arrival "Should we really drink at this dinner?" Holly asked.

"It's mandatory" Gail said as she drained the rest of the beer and stood to grab them one each this time, from the fridge "Trust me is necessary"

The brunette twisted the top off "Cheers" she said, giving in as after he morning she really did feel like drinking.

There was a knock on the door, Gail got up and opened it for her brother "I see your ready" he said pointing to the beer "Hey" he said to Holly who was mid drink so she waved.

"Let's get this over with" the blonde said grabbing her bag.

0-0-0

They picked up Traci on the way, Leo had said he wasn't feeling well so he stayed with a sitter. They arrived at the Peck household about 30 minutes early "I think Leo had the right idea, I should have said I felt sick" Gail said and looked at Holly "I do feel a little ill so it's kinda true"

The brunette took her hand and kissed it "I know Honey, it'll be over soon"

"Let's get this judgey passive aggressive bullshit over with for another month" Steve said and got out, Traci following.

The blonde looked at her girlfriend "I wanna say I'm sorry right now that you have to see this"

Holly tilted her head "Gail, it's okay, were gonna go through this crap with my sister at some stage but then it will be me apologising to you so stop worrying" she put her hand on her cheek "We'll do this then go for a few drinks ok?"

"Okay" Gail said she kissed her and they got out. They met at the front of the car, the blonde slipped her hand into Holly's and linked their fingers.

"Ready?" Steve asked the pair as they joined them near the front door, his sister nodded and he knocked on the door.

"Hello" Bill Peck said as he answered the door, he stepped back so they could come in "nice to see you again Detective Nash" He said taking Traci's hand and shaking it.

"Traci" she answered.

"Then you should call me Bill" he said with a warm smile, he turned to Gail "Hi Sweetheart" he said and kissed her cheek, he looked to the woman she was holding hands with "You must be Dr Stewart" he said holding out his hand.

Holly took it with her free hand, luckily it was the right one "Please call me Holly"

"Bill" he said "it's nice to meet you" he released the brunettes hand and directed them inside "Steven, will you get the ladies a drink and I will see what's keeping your mother" he said and left the room.

"Wine, Beer, spirits, juice?" Steve offered.

"Juice" Traci said following him to the bar.

Gail still had Holly's hand in her own "Your Dad seems nice" the brunette said

"He is" the blonde said absently.

"Gail" she said, once she looked at her she tugged on their joined hands, she pulled her into a quick kiss "I love you" she whispered against her lips.

Gail picked up her other hand "I love you too" she whispered back.

"Wine?" Steve offered from across the room.

"Please" The blonde said, she dropped Holly's hands and headed over to grab both glasses.

She had come back was handing her girlfriend her glass when Elaine walked in "Good evening" she said smoothly "This must be the famous Dr Stewart I've heard so much about, from everyone except my daughter"

Holly picked up Gail's hand again, lacing their fingers and giving her hand a squeeze "Famous? I don't think so" she said "it's nice to meet you Superintendent"

When the older woman didn't offer a hand to shake, the brunette didn't try to free up a hand to offer to do it either "Hello again Detective Nash" Elaine said turning her focus to the other couple.

"Nice to see you again" the detective offered "You have a beautiful house"

The older woman looked around "We try, I'm just going to check dinner, how about you go and have a seat in the dining room, we'll join you in a few minutes"

Gail rolled her eyes and pulled a face at Holly behind her mothers back, the brunette snickered and squeezed her hand. They went into the dining room which was fully decked out with plates and silverware, they did this whenever Steve or Gail bought someone home to meet them, the blonde thinks they do it to make a good impression but it kinda goes out the window when you can't even bother to get peoples names right.

Gail took a seat with Holly sitting next to her, as soon as they were seated the brunettes hand came to rest on the blondes thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Steve sat opposite his sister with Traci at the end of the table between him and Gail. That left the other end of the table and the seat across from Holly vacant for their parents "Do you wanna switch?" The blonde offered when she realised.

"I'm good here" the brunette said, rubbed her leg then leaned in "Plus I have a feeling you'll be the one who needs protecting from her not me, I heard her shot before" she whispered.

"Welcome to the Peck family" Gail whispered and gave her a kiss on the cheek, Holly turned her head and captured her lips, she kept it light but just enough to reassure her.

Steve cleared his throat making then pull apart "She's coming back" he said nodding toward the door.

The blonde didn't pull right back, she brushed her thumb over her girlfriends lips, pecked them then sat back, her brother grinned at her "What?" She said with a slight blush knowing exactly why he was smiling.

"Nothing" he said.

Before anymore could be said, Elaine sat across from Holly "Bill is just finishing up on the meat, were having a garlic infused pot roast with roast vegetables, won't be much longer" she turned to Traci "I hear you and Detective Swarek are lead on this serial killer case"

"Yes, we have a few good leads at the moment hopefully the case will move forward towards an arrest" the detective said, Sam had said much the same thing to Frank on Friday before their powwow at Holly and Gail's place.

"Really? Last I had heard, you two hadn't even identified seven of the eight women" the Superintendent said sweetly but it didn't soften the impact of her words.

Before Traci or anyone else could comment the Doctor spoke up "Actually as of Friday evening we have identified seven of the eight and I am just waiting on conformation from a colleague in New York on the last woman's dental records"

She looked to Steve then Gail "I'm assuming it was your work that achieved this?" She asked.

"Between my lab and the officers on the case yes" Holly said "Without their help it wouldn't have happened" she picked up her glass and had a large mouthful of wine, Gail's hand joined hers on the blondes leg under the table.

Elaine, put on the back foot turned to her daughter "Gail, I spoke to Frank on Thursday, there's a detective rotation coming up next month, I expect to see your application in there"

The blonde sighed "I wasn't planning on it" she said into her glass.

"Well plan on it, your not going to get anywhere in the force if you don't step up and apply yourself"

Holly's hand tightened on Gail's leg but before anymore could be said Bill came in the room "Dinner is ready"

0-0-0-0-0-0

They ate mostly in silence, Holly hadn't really taken her eyes off Gail, she did glance in the direction of her parents occasionally but otherwise kept her attention on her girlfriend.

Once dinner was done they all went into the sitting room for coffee. While Elaine was in the kitchen, Bill was talking to the rest "I hear you two met at a crime scene" he asked Holly.

"Yes" she said smiling at Gail "She told me I wasn't allowed on 'her' crime scene"

"You should wear a badge that says forensic pathologist, that would stop that from happening, we wear a uniform" she looked to her brother and his girlfriend "Well some of us do"

"I've heard nothing but good things about you from the divisions you work with, I'm hoping you'll be staying around for a while"

The blonde looked at her girlfriend, wanting to hear the answer "I have no intention of leaving" Gail slipped her hand into Holly's as she spoke, the brunette looked at her "My home is here"

"That's good, great forensic work is the backbone of police work nowadays"

The conversation drifted to Traci and Steve, Gail excused Holly and herself saying she wanted to show her around the house, Bill waved them off and continued talking to his son. The blonde led her girlfriend out into the hallway and all but dragged her upstairs, they ducked into the room near the top of the stairs and closed the door. Gail pushed Holly against the door and kissed her, the brunette let it happen for a minute because she needed it as much as her lover did, once the blondes hand started going inside her top she stopped it "Honey" she said against her lips.

Gail put her arms around Holly's neck "I know" she gave her a soft kiss "Nice save with Traci by the way"

The brunettes face changed from sweet to angry in a second "That was harsh and what she said to you I just wanted to..." The blondes lips put and end to her ramble.

Gail pulled back and rested her head on Holly's "I guess I should really show you the house huh?" She said.

The brunette turned her around and wrapped her arms around her waist "Lead on"

0-0-0

As they returned from their tour, Elaine was walking out of the kitchen with a tray of coffee.

Once seated, with drinks in hand the older woman spoke "So please, fill me in on how the serial killer case is going, obviously you made some forward steps yesterday?"

"Now we have the identities we can follow up their movements up until they disappeared, hopefully find the connecting factor between them" Traci said.

"The lab is still going through the boxes of evidence, we should be able to give them much more to work with in the next few days" Holly said supporting the detective.

"Forensics is great but it's always slow going" Elaine said.

"Being meticulous about how you process helps when your getting a conviction" the doctor pointed out.

Gail smirked, you never pick on Holly's attention to detail, even she knew that, she rested her hand on her girlfriends arm, instantly feeling her calm "Holly graduated at the top of her class in med school" she pointed out "I think she knows what she's doing"

"Gail, I wasn't saying she didn't, I'm just saying it's slow work"

The blonde was getting irritated "Have you ever been to the lab? I wouldn't describe it as slow, they are busy all the time"

Feeling like she's loosing the upper hand to her, Elaine turned the focus on her daughter "Well Gail, since your girlfriend obviously has a great work ethic, why you don't you do the same and become a detective, move up the ranks?"

The blonde sighed into her coffee cup "Not tonight, please"

"What I would really like to know is what Dr Stewart's opinion of your lack of drive when it comes to your work?"

As soon as the sentence left her mothers mouth, Gail knew that an explosion was going to come from the woman next to her, after her morning with the case, Holly had hardly any fuse left and insulting Gail's dedication to her work was the absolute last straw "Really?" The brunette said "You really think your daughter has a lack of drive?" She waited a few seconds but no one spoke "I'll take that as a yes, well my opinion is that Gail Peck is one of the most brilliant, wonderful, loving, loyal and driven people I've ever met. As for her not wanting to be a detective or move up the ranks, that's bullshit" Holly stood, Gail had her hand on her arm, her hand slid into the brunettes "She is brilliant at her job and as long as she's happy I don't care what she does, she can quit and become a stripper for all I care, I'll still love and support her no matter what" the Holly turned to Gail "Lets get out of here" she said and pulled the blonde to her feet and headed for the door, they grabbed their jackets and left the stunned four in the sitting room, once outside, Gail called a cab and they walked down the driveway, hand in hand.

"So I can become a stripper hey?" The blonde said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, it's the first thing I thought of and anyway you are hot enough" Holly said dropping her hand and wrapping an arm around her "Let's go get drunk"

0-0-0-0-0-0

A ringing phone pierced through the silence of the bedroom the next morning "You've gotta be fucking kidding me" Gail said holding her head "Make it stop"

"It's yours" Holly said pointing to the blondes bedside, grimacing "Stop the noise please" she said her hand going to her forehead.

Gail grabbed the phone and checked the call id "What the fuck Steve it's..." She pulled the phone back to look at the time "10.30 on Sunday" seeing the time took much of the argument out of her.

"Someone hit the Penny after the dinner huh?" He said.

"Wouldn't you?" She said, she laid back down her free arm over her eyes, Holly snuggled into her side.

"Yea, she didn't say much after you left, she did say one thing though that I thought you'd like to hear"

"Oh yea what's that?" Gail asked with a yawn.

"That she likes Holly, that it's about time you found some who cares that much about you" he said.

The blonde was stunned "Am I still drunk or did you just say that mom liked Holly?"

This got the dozing brunettes attention "What?" She said.

"Yes I did, I think the fact that she stood up for you like she did impressed her and made her realise she actually does care about you and that you guys might actually go somewhere" Steve explained.

"Wow" Gail said softly "Anyway why the hell are you waking us up?"

"Because Traci, Leo, Dov and I are standing here at the apartment wait to move your crap that's why" her brother said, she could hear the smile in his voice "so if you two booze hounds can see your way to getting here that would be awesome"

"Sorry" the blonde said "go buy some brunch we'll be there in about an hour"

"See you soon"

Gail ended the call and put her phone back on the night stand, she turned back and snuggled into Holly after a few minutes the brunette spoke "What was that about?" She asked yawning.

"Steve, Traci and Leo are at the apartment to help me move" Gail said sleepily.

Holly put her head up "Then we need to get up" she said sitting up and stretching.

"No, we need to sleep" the blonde answered trying to tug her back down with her.

The brunette rolled over so she was laying on top of Gail "Did I hear you say your mother liked me?"

Blue eyes opened and looked up at her, she moved a piece of Holly's hair behind her ear "Yep, as it turns out the best way to impress my mother is to tell her off"

"Really?" The brunette sagged against her lover "that's just weird"

"Your telling me, now you know where my weirdness comes from" the blonde said wrapping her arms around the woman laying on top of her, she went to kiss her but she pulled back.

"We have work to do" Holly kissed her then got up, heading for the bathroom.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They had managed to fit Gail's furniture into Chris's truck without too much trouble, the blonde had headed back up to double check she had everything, she turned to leave to come face to face with her mother standing in the doorway out and Holly standing just behind her "Why are you here?" She asked.

"Well" Elaine said stepping forward, allowing the brunette inside, she stepped to the side of the older woman and folded her arms waiting to see what happened "I came to see if you and Holly would have lunch with me, maybe talk about some things"

Gail looked to her girlfriend who shrugged then nodded "Well as I'm sure you're aware I'm moving in with Holly today, we need to take the load in the truck to the house, then I guess we could meet you for coffee later"

Holly moved over to Gail and took her hand, Elaine watched them for a beat "Call me when your finished and I'll buy you both afternoon tea" she leaned forward and kissed her daughters cheek.

She left and the shocked couple in the apartment, the blonde opened her mouth to speak then closed it again, unsure what to say.

"Well it's official" Holly said.

Gail looked at her "Huh?"

"Your mom is weirder than you"

The blonde laughed.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"She's taking you for afternoon tea?" Traci asked as her and Gail carried some left over boxes up the stairs into the spare room.

"It was really... strange" the blonde said pulling a face "I'm kinda worried"

"I wish I could reassure you but she's effectively your boss and she could really screw both of your careers"

"Thanks Trace" Gail said her tone dripping with sarcasm "Well done on the reassurance"

The detective smiled at her "Gail I was there last night when she told Steve she liked Holly, you guys left and before anyone could speak she turned to your Dad and said 'I really like her' I don't honestly think you have anything to worry about"

The blonde still doubted her, she'd known Elaine a lot longer than her friend "We'll see"

Holly appeared in the doorway "This is where you two disappeared to" she said leaning on the doorframe, she noticed her girlfriends expression "Everything ok?"

"I'm trying to reassure her that Elaine isn't up to anything" Traci said, she walked over and touched the brunettes shoulder "I've tagged you in, your turn" she said and went to help.

"What's wrong?" Holly asked not moving.

Gail moved towards the door "We should..."

The brunette grabbed her arm "They're putting the bed and furniture in the downstairs room, I've ordered pizza for lunch, we can talk for five minutes" she slid her hand into the blondes and led her into their bedroom, closing and locking the door, she sat Gail on the bed and squatted in front of her "So what are we talking about here, cat in a tree emergency situation or just a freak out? And is this really just about your mom or is it moving in here?"

"No emergency" Gail said, she rested her hand on Holly's shoulder "As for moving in, I have stayed here basically every night since we got back together, I think I moved in over 3 weeks ago, my home is here with you"

"Good" the brunette stood dropping a kiss on the blondes lips on the way back up, she sat next to Gail "So this is a minor mom freak out about why she wants to meet us for coffee?" The blonde nodded, she took her lovers hand and rested her head on her shoulder "Whatever it is we'll deal with it together"

0-0-0-0-0-0

They walked into the cafe Elaine had suggested around 3pm. Gail spotted her straight away and headed to the table, her hand firmly wrapped in Holly's. They exchanged an uncomfortable greeting and gave their orders to the waitress "So Holly, I've heard we were lucky to get you when we did that you had some offers in America?"

"Small talk, Mom, really?" The blonde said, annoyed that she expected it to be civil before discussing the night before "We both know that you already did a background check on Holly and talked to everyone she's ever worked with so cut the crap so we can talk about whatever it is you seem to want to discuss"

Holly wanted to smirk, from what she had been told, Gail hardly ever really stood up for herself with her mother, sass yes, rebel against yes, defend herself no. Maybe she was a bad influence on the blonde, or just maybe a good one.

The older woman sighed "Your right, I do have something I want to talk to you about" she paused for a few beats "Why didn't you tell me about Holly? because from what I've seen and heard she is very important to you"

Under the table, Holly's hand picked up Gail's and linked their fingers, she was glad in that moment Elaine had asked her to come so she could support her.

The blonde looked over to her girlfriend who nodded at her, encouraging her to talk "I wasn't ready to..." She trailed off when she looked at her mother.

"You weren't ready for what?" The older woman asked softly.

Gail took a deep breath "I wasn't ready to come out to you guys, I needed time to..." Holly rubbed her leg with their hands encouraging her to continue "work out what to say I guess"

"Sweetheart" Elaine said with a smile "We were wondering how long it would take you to realise, I thought you might have figured it out in Europe but you came back with that Nick"

"Wait" Gail said shaking her head "You knew I was gay?" She asked her voice going louder, when she realised she blushed and dropped her head down.

"We have both been police officers for a long time, were trained to see things, we worked it out before you finished high school"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" The blonde said looking up.

"Would you have listened?" Holly said.

Gail thought about it for a second "Well no, but it might have dawned on me a little earlier than that day I saw you at the crime scene if someone had" The brunette smiled at her on the mention of their first meeting.

"I didn't think telling you would do any good" Elaine said confirming Holly's thoughts.

"So if you knew I was gay why set me up on blind dates with guys?" The blonde asked.

"Well if you want the truth, I picked the worse ones I could find in the hopes that you would... Try the other side" the older woman said blushing a little.

"MOM" Gail said loudly, Holly snickered and the blonde used their joined hands to hit her leg.

"I had to do something, if I'd known sending you our forensic pathologist would do it, I would have had you meet when Holly started"

Gail went bright red, then realised something, her mother was light heartedly teasing her about how long it took her to come out "So your ok with all of this?" She asked.

Elaine put her hand on her daughters "Of course I am, you're my only daughter" she looked to Holly "I want to say I'm sorry for my behaviour last night, you are a very accomplished Doctor and I should have never insinuated that you would be anything but brilliant at you job" the brunette didn't know what to say and Gail was so shocked she just stared at her mother "Also Holly is right, I should never push you to be anything you don't want to be, I know I have spent many years pushing but you never seemed comfortable anywhere. Now, with Holly I can see that you are happy and I don't want to ruin that for you" she squeezed her daughters hand "I know this doesn't make up for all the years of pushing, comments and everything else, I will try not to do it anymore and just support you"

Gail had tears running down her cheeks by the time she was done, the blonde let go of Holly and got up, she moved around and hugged her mother, who gladly accepted it.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly was making dinner a couple of hours later, when they'd left Elaine, not much had been said. She figured Gail needed some time to process the big turn around in her mother, hopefully it lasted. The brunette could tell that the older woman wanted to change to fix the relationship between her and her daughter, it was just if she could and if she did hopefully it would stay that way. As soon as they came in Gail had headed to the Playstation within minutes the sound of gunfire started, Holly left her to it heading into the upstairs spare room to sort out some of Gail's boxes. After a couple of hours she'd started cooking dinner for them, just a basic stir fry, nothing too heavy after pizza for lunch and drinking the night before. When the smell of food started to drift into the sitting room, Gail appeared behind her "whatcha cooking?"

"Chicken stir fry" she said as the blonde arms wrapped around her.

"Smells good" she said and kissed her cheek, the blonde paused then asked "Do you think she really wants to try and change?"

Holly put her free hand up behind Gail's head, rubbing the short hair there "I don't think she was lying, I think she does want to" she hesitated from going further.

"But?" The blonde said sensing it.

"I just hope she can Honey, that's all"

"Me too" Gail whispered, snuggling in closer.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A/N - I like remorseful Elaine hope you do too.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey all sorry for the delay. This one usually takes longer to update because it’s not pre written so The muse needs to be inspired for me to update.

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Disclaimer - I do not own anything aside from the characters I create and do not profit from this.

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Chapter Eleven

0-0-0

After parade Monday morning, Gail and Andy were on the phones contacting family members of the victims and finding out there last known addresses to see if they could find a connection between them. The blonde had just finished talking to the first family, she hated doing this stuff, the families had already been notified by local officers but then they had to call and bring up more of it by asking questions about the person they’d just lost. She grabbed her ‘Dad’ mug from her desk and headed to the break room. She was midway through making her tea when she felt someone behind her “Hey” Holly’s voice said in her ear.  
She smiled and turned around “Hi” she wasn’t usually one for PDAs but after talking to that poor woman’s family she needed her girlfriend, she gave her a kiss and slipped her arms around her neck “The courier sick again?” She asked jokingly.  
Holly grinned as she wrapped her arms around the police officers waist “No” she gave the blonde another kiss, her smile fell “I just finished that boys autopsy”  
"I’m sorry" Gail said understanding why the brunette had come, she needed her lover to help her through it.  
They stood holding each other for a minute, Holly spoke first “My lawyer called this morning”  
"And?" The blonde asked "Tea?" She offered the brunette.  
Holly pulled away so she could make the tea and nodded, she leaned against the bench “After going over everything he thinks we have a pretty good chance of being granted custody” Gail glanced over with a grin on her face “the only thing is the amount of time it could take to find her aunt, he did make a suggestion about that, I wanted to talk to you before going ahead with it though”  
"What is it?" The blonde asked handing her the tea.  
"We hire a private detective to find her and any other possible family then give their contact information to child services, it means maybe we can make this go a little faster for her and also shows that we care enough about her well being to find her family, even if it could mean we don’t end up adopting her" Holly explained.  
Gail leaned on the bench right next to her “What do you think?” She asked, taking her free hand in her own.  
"I think it’s a good idea, my lawyer will organise it if we decide to do it, I said we’d get in contact tomorrow to give him an answer" the brunette moved in front of her girlfriend "What about you?"  
Gail leaned forward and gave her a kiss “I think anything that gets her settled into a permanent home quicker can only be a good thing, even if it’s not our home”  
Holly took a sip of the tea “So do you want to think about it or do I give him the go ahead to get started?”  
"How much is this gonna cost though?" The blonde asked looking at her.  
"Doesn’t matter" the brunette muttered into her mug "it will be taken care of"  
Gail put her mug down and moved in front of Holly “No, how much?”  
"I didn’t get a definite number, it all depends on how long it all takes, just please let me take care of it, I want to do this for us" she put her mug down and took the blondes other hand "Let me do it for Sophie"  
The mention of the young girl almost convinced her to let Holly do it “Hol, this is because of me, it shouldn’t come from you…” Gail leaned forward and rested her head on the brunette’s chest “It’s going to be in the thousands isn’t it?”  
Holly dropped the blondes hands and put them on her cheeks, tugging her head up so she could look at her “More than likely yea, but this little girl is worth it” she brushed her thumb over her lips “You’re worth it” she gave her a soft kiss, and smiled at her “if it makes you feel better you can pay for half the utilities at the house”  
Gail put her hands on Holly’s hips “I had every intention of doing that anyway”  
"Let me do it" the brunette whispered, resting her forehead on her girlfriends.  
The blonde sighed “Alright” she gave in “On one condition, Friday, you and me have a date”  
Holly gave her a lopsided smile “A date huh?”  
Gail’s arms slid around her waist as the brunette’s went over her shoulders “Yes a date”  
"Ok" Holly said and went in for a kiss, the blonde met her halfway, as their lips met Gail instantly went to deepen it but was stopped by someone clearing their throat.  
They both looked up to see Oliver with a smile on his face “Peck I’m all for having good relations with our forensic pathologist, I think you’re taking it a bit too far there” he walked over near them to make coffee.  
The blonde blushed and pulled back, not completely releasing her she slid her hand into Holly’s and liked their fingers “Come on, I’m sure we can find a free interrogation room” she dragged the brunette to the door with her.  
"Nice to see you Holly" Oliver said.  
"You too" Holly said back with a smile, as they left.

0-0-0

"I need to get back to the lab, Honey" Holly said running her hands up and down the blondes back, inside the shirt of her uniform.  
"I know" Gail mumbled into her neck as she kissed it "I should get back to work too" the brunette tilted her head up and captured her lips.  
The blonde was sitting on the table in the interrogation viewing room with her lover between her legs, after being interrupted by Oliver they’d found the nearest empty room, Gail’s hands went to Holly’s belt buckle and the brunette broke the kiss “Gail” she said warning her and grabbing her hands.  
"You promised" the blonde pouted.  
Holly slid her hand into Gail’s linking their fingers “I did, didn’t I?” The brunette let her hands go gave her a sultry look, grabbed her by her belt and tugged her hips forward, she was undoing the belt when, Holly’s phone interrupted her. She sighed and pulled it out of her pocket “Sorry, it’s the lab” She said, she gave her lover one last kiss and pulled away “Dr Stewart” she answered.  
Gail stayed sitting on the table, she took a deep breath trying to calm down, did up her shirt and tucked it back in.  
"Where?" The brunette asked the person on the phone "are they sure?"  
The blonde frowned at her, Holly put her finger up as to tell her to wait a second “Get a full team ready, I’ll be there in about 10 minutes” she hung the phone up “They think they might have…”  
Gail’s phone interrupted the brunette, she pulled it out, it was Traci, she silenced it “found a new dump site” she finished for her.  
"Yea" Holly said with a sigh "Now I really have to go, I’m sorry" she stepped back between the blondes legs her hands resting on them "I’ll call my lawyer and tell him to get started with the private investigator"  
"Are you sure, I can help you pay for it?" Gail asked.  
"I’m very sure, I wanna do this for us" the brunette put her hand on her cheek, she gave her a kiss "Be safe, will I see you out there?"  
"Yea, I better go they’ll be running out of here"  
Holly stepped back and Gail slid off the table “I love you” the brunette said as they walked out.  
"I love you too" the blonde said and took off jogging down the hallway to get ready.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Six bodies?" Traci asked Holly as the two detectives walked up. Gail and Andy went to question the hikers that found the first body.  
"Yes" the brunette said from her squatted position on the ground "From what I’ve seen so far it’s the same as the other ones, I’ll need to get them back to the lab to confirm and to give you any more than that of course"  
"Anything standing out?" Sam asked.  
Holly looked up at him “Not yet, the most recent body has been here for at least six months, with that amount of decomposition, as I just said to you, I’ll need them at the lab before anything will stand out” she snapped.  
Gail looked over at her girlfriend from her spot a few metres away, the brunette was always very professional, she was surprised by it “Excuse me a second” she walked up to the three. “Everything ok?” She asked. Holly looked up at her, she could tell by the look in her eye she was still stuck on her feelings about the teenager “Detective Nash, can I have a word?” The blonde said and stepped away.  
"Gail?" She asked  
"Don’t push her, she did that boys autopsy this morning" she said quickly "She’s pretty messed up about it"  
Traci nodded “I get it, I read the report from 27 this morning, you get her first impressions, I’ll get Sam away”  
Once Sam and Traci moved to the hikers, Holly stood up to move to the next body “You shouldn’t have done that” she said to her girlfriend.  
"Swarek is an ass at the best of times" Gail said following her.  
"It’s not very professional though" the brunette said squatting next to the next body.  
"I only asked my friend to give my girlfriend some space to do her job, that’s all" the blonde explained.  
Holly leaned closer the remains in front of her “I would say these are laid out in order of death, that one” she pointed to the first one she looked at “has been there about a month less than this one”  
Gail noted it “Anything else?”  
"Nothing that stands out" she stood again "I don’t need you to tell them to lay off I’m a grown up I can handle my own shit" she sounded angry.  
"Baby I wasn’t…"  
Holly didn’t let her finish “Officer Peck, I’ll arrange my team to get the bodies to the morgue” she closed, what Gail called her lunchbox, and pulled off her gloves “I need to get back” she walked past the blonde to where all the cars were parked.  
"Holly" Gail said but she ignored her "Damn it" she said and kicked the ground.  
"You piss her of some more?" Traci asked.  
"I don’t think I helped at all" the blonde said as she watched her girlfriend peel away in her SUV.  
"Isn’t that your car?" The detective asked.

0-0-0-0-0-0

As Andy drove them back to the station, Gail tried to call Holly about five times, the last time she left a message, then once they were back at the station she sent a text offering to bring over lunch, she got a quick answer saying, she already got lunch and probably would be at the lab all night processing the six new bodies.  
The blonde threw her phone on the table “Fuck” she said to herself.  
"Well that’s not the same happy Peck I saw with her girlfriend this morning" Oliver said, sitting on the corner of the desk.  
"Bloody women" Gail said looking up at him.  
"Buy me lunch" he said.  
Within ten minutes the were sitting in Oliver’s squad eating pizza “You should have just left it alone” he said once she explained everything “She feels like you told everyone she’s weak”  
"I only wanted to help"  
"You’re a woman yourself, in this profession your still considered lesser in the eyes of the old boys, she feels like you pointed out her weakness" he took another piece of pizza "How would you feel if she came and told everyone to back off cos she’s worried about you with the whole Perrick thing?"  
"Oh" Gail said getting it "Crap, I fucked up didn’t I?"  
"A little, give her a few hours, go over after shift and crawl on your belly" he said.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail sent her texts over the next few hours, nothing heavy just asking how she is, she got no answers, which in itself, wasn’t unusual considering she had six autopsies to do. Once she was off shift she changed and headed out “Hey” she said as she ran into Traci.  
"You fix things with Holly?" She asked.  
"On my way to do it now"  
"Good" the detective said and went, Gail pulled a face at her and left.  
When Gail arrived at the morgue, Holly was doing one of the autopsies, she came in and sat down quietly at the nearby desk, the brunette looked at her and went back to her work. After about an hour she was done, she shut off the recording device and pulled off her gloves. She zipped the body back up to preserve the evidence and leaned on the table “How was the rest of your shift?” She asked her arms crossed.  
"I spent it calling family members, we did get one thing though, so far they all stayed at the same boarding house" She stood up "Traci and Sam are heading over to check it out"  
"That’s good, nothing really new here, yet, I’ve done 3 of the 6 autopsies and so far it’s been consistent with the other women"  
Gail came and stood in front of Holly, she rested her hands on her girlfriends hips “How are you doing?” She asked.  
The brunette pushed off the table, pushing the blonde back and walked away from her “I’m fine, I really don’t need you to look after my delicate sensibilities” she moved the trolley over to put the body away.  
"Holly" Gail said following her "I didn’t mean it like that, I just.."  
"I don’t really want to discuss it right now" Holly interrupted her as she pulled the body back onto the drawer and closed it "I have another three autopsies to do before I come home"  
As she went to open the next drawer, Gail came up behind her, resting her hands on her hips again “Holly…” She said and turned her “Please, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you feel that way, I just wanted him to back off”  
Holly looked at her “I’m just angry that you felt the need to tell them about…”  
"I didn’t, I asked Traci to get him to back off, it’s not your fault they can’t find a lead, you’ve done more than anyone" Gail explained.  
The brunette sighed “I know what you meant to do” she put her hands on the blondes shoulders “I get it, I’m angry because you pointed out a weakness to them”  
"I’m sorry" Gail’s head dropped forward "What can I do?"  
Holly kissed her head “Honestly, just let me do the autopsies, give me some time to myself, we can talk when I get home”  
The blonde looked up “But…”  
The brunette silenced her with a kiss, she slid her hands on her cheeks and deepened it, her tongue brushed Gail’s drawing it into action, as they kissed their tongues duelled as the blonde arms wrapped around Holly tugging her body to hers.  
Gail reluctantly pulled back “Are we ok?” She asked.  
"We are good, I’m still just a little mad at you, I want to get these done, if I’m alone I’ll work quicker to get done, call your friends, go to the Penny" she gave her a kiss "I’ll see you later at home, then you can make it up to me "  
"I am sorry baby" the blonde rested her forehead on Holly’s  
"I know you are love, I just need some time, I’ll be home in a few hours ok, go have fun with your friends"  
Gail called Oliver in the cab on the way to the Penny, he, Traci, Dov, Sam and Andy were already there.  
"Peck" Oliver said meeting her at the bar "I need you to help me beat Epstein at pool" she threw back the tequila shot she’d bought and picked up her beer and followed.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly finished the last autopsy and put the body away, she’d found a few new things she would need to report to the detectives, she sat in front of the computer and set up the note taker to load onto the computer. She started clearing up her desk when she noticed her phone, she hadn’t thought about it since she turned it onto silent when she was angry with Gail earlier. She picked it up, there were a few calls and texts from before she’d spoken to the blonde and sent her off with her friends. There were about 10 texts from the last few hours, starting with ‘Just got to the Penny, the guys are here, wish you were, love you don’t work too hard. G oxox’ she could tell her girlfriend was drinking as the spelling became awful ‘baby, cum to tha peny, need yor brain 4 trivia’ then a few seconds later there was ‘Luv u’ there were a few in between, quoting songs and complaining that Chloe had turned up, the last one worried her slightly ‘Hol, m sorry plz don b agry wit me anymr, don wana loose u’. She’d known when she said to Gail she needed a bit of time it upset the blonde but she’d also said they were ok, figuring the alcohol must be exacerbating her girlfriends fears, she quickly packed up, she was just about to leave to go find her when her phone rang “Gail?” She said after seeing the number.  
"It’s Oliver" he said, Holly could hear the bar noises in the back ground.  
"Is she ok?" The brunette asked, she grabbed her bag, briefcase and forensic kit, turned of the lights and headed out.  
"She’s ok physically, I think, she’s had a lot to drink" she heard Gail’s voice yelling something garbled in the background.  
"Whose she yelling at?"  
"You sit down and shut up" he said obviously to the blonde "You’re in enough trouble" he sighed "She got in a fight with an officer at 27, she over heard him talking about you" there was another yell from Gail "Shut up" Oliver said again "Can you get down here and take her home before she gets arrested or beaten up?"  
Holly got in the car “I’ll be there in ten”  
"Thanks, I’ll be the one stopping her from hurting herself"

0-0-0

Holly walked in the Penny, she saw Gail straight away, Oliver was standing between her and a man about the blondes height with a smirk on his face “Hey” she said walking up to them.  
"Baby" Gail said almost launching herself at the brunette, luckily she’d been ready for it and managed to steady her "Tell this dopey fuck over here that he hasn’t got a chance in hell of ‘turning’ you" she gave air quotes on turning, releasing Holly to do so and nearly fell over "and that were committed to each other"  
The brunette steadied her and looked at the guy “You really think I’d go straight for you when I get to go home with her every night?” She pulled the blonde against her and kissed her hard, woof whistles, clapping and shouts of approval rang out, Holly broke the kiss “No fucking way and if I hear any gossip about me or my girlfriend having anything to do with you, running through the department, I’ll have you up on slander charges so fast your head will spin” she slid her hand into Gail’s and took her outside amid a mass of cheers.  
Oliver followed them out “You ok?” He asked.  
They both looked at the swaying blonde “I need to get her home before she gets sick”  
"Do you need a hand?" He offered.  
"No, we’ve been here before, I’ll be ok" the brunette said.  
Oliver kissed her cheek “Look after her”  
"I always do" Holly said.

0-0-0

"Come on" Holly said "Wake up Hun" she said standing on the passenger side of the car, trying to wake the snoring blonde "You know when I said go and have fun, I didn’t mean go and get wasted and try to get in a fight"  
"He said he wanted to try and…" Gail sat up suddenly "I don’t feel good" The brunette helped her out of the car and into the house, they’d only just made the downstairs bathroom when the blondes stomach decided to empty, Holly rubbed her back as she vomited. When Gail slumped against the wall, the brunette flushed the toilet, grabbed a washcloth and cleaned her face up "I’m sorry" she said hoarsely then swallowed.  
"Apologise tomorrow when you’re sober" Holly said "Do you think you can make it upstairs or do we need a bucket?"  
"Bucket" the blonde said breathing deeply trying to get rid of the nausea.  
The brunette kissed her head “I’ll be back in a minute, just try not to miss the toilet” Gail nodded as she left, she was five steps away when she heard the blonde heave again. She felt a little to blame for her predicament, had she let her stay at the morgue and talk about things, she wouldn’t be sick right now but then it was self inflicted too. By the time she returned with the bucket Gail’s head was still over the toilet “You doing ok?” She asked squatting down next to her.  
"Peachy" the blonde groaned, she looked up at Holly "I didn’t mean to make you angry today" she said, she moved away from the toilet, leaning on the wall again.  
The brunette flushed the toilet “I know, come on, let’s get you cleaned up and to bed”  
After one more session over the toilet, Holly had Gail tucked in bed, towel under her head, bucket on the floor on a towel next to her and she was fast asleep. The brunette changed and slipped into bed next to her. She watched her for an hour of so to make sure her stomach was done, once she was sure she let herself drift off.

0-0-0

"Get up" Holly said flinging the blankets off Gail "Your due at parade in an hour and a half, there is coffee downstairs"  
"I’m calling in sick" the blonde groaned blindly reaching for the blankets. Her head under the pillow.  
"Not when half the division saw you drinking yourself under the table at the Penny you’re not, you’re going in, telling Frank your hung over and doing desk duty" the brunette lifted the pillow up "I’ve told you before, no sympathy for self inflicted wounds"  
Gail looked up at her “You’re mean”  
"Yea well last night wasn’t exactly a picnic for me" she said dumping the pillow on the blondes face and started getting her clothes ready "I’m going in the shower" she said heading to their bathroom.  
"Can I come?" Gail said half sitting up.  
"No" Holly said and closed the door, locking it.  
The blonde flopped back on the bed “Owww” she whined as her head pounded, she had a lot of crawling to do.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail was on the front desk, she’d been assigned it once she’d told Best she was hung over, all he’d done was shake his head, put her on front desk and assign Nick to the serial case for the day, the only reason she was to go near the case was for a briefing with the forensic team that afternoon before shift ended. It was about 5pm when Holly appeared in front of her “Hey” she said.  
Gail looked up at her with a smile “Hey” she buzzed her in and stood up to greet her.  
"You feeling ok?" the brunette said as the blonde took her hand, the woman in front of her looked pale.  
"Just got a headache that’s all" Gail said "I’ll get Best to replace me, everyone’s in the parade room"  
"Thanks" Holly said giving her hand a squeeze, she went to release her but the blonde tugged her back, she gave her a peck on the lips then headed for Frank’s office, leaving the slightly stunned brunette there. After a second she shook off the shock of the public kiss and headed to the briefing.  
When the blonde came in, Holly was standing in front of the three other officers involved with the case with Oliver, Nick and Frank also sitting in, once Gail was seated she started to talk “I’ve performed the six autopsies and compared them against missing persons reports, I got five positive IDs and one currently pending, again there is no pattern in the body type, the killing method is consistent with the others, there was something that stood out on two of the later bodies that could be of use, because these bodies weren’t as decomposed as the others it is possible to see the ligature marks from where they were tied up, from the small fibres I was able to pull it looks like it was some type of electrical cord or electrician wire”  
"So our guy could be an electrician?" Sam asked.  
"It’s possible" Holly agreed "I was also able to pull DNA from the sexual assault it’s currently being processed, it should be ready for comparison by tomorrow morning"  
"We’ll see if it’s in the system but I doubt it" Traci said "we’ve had trouble even getting leads on this guy, now we’ve got the other IDs we’ll contact the local departments to do the death notices and then see if we can make a connection with the same boarding house"  
"How did it go when you went out there?" Frank asked.  
"It’s run by a little old lady but she does have a list of people who come in to do maintenance, cleaning etc I’m going over tomorrow morning to pick up the list" Sam explained.  
"I’ve had a call from upstairs" Frank said "The FBI have been in contact about the two Americans that were killed, they’re happy for us to work the case unless there’s another one, then they will want to be involved"  
"The five I’ve ID’ed are Canadian, I’m fairly certain the last one is too" Holly stated.  
"Should we be checking all missing persons reports from the ages of these women?" Gail asked "Maybe try and get him before we find another dump site full of bodies?" Six sets of eyes landed on the blonde, mostly dumbfounded that no one had suggested it before, Holly just smiled at her.  
"That’s a good suggestion Peck" Frank said with a smile, he turned to Sam "Do a country wide search on the missing persons database, this guy might be getting them in Toronto but only one was from here, even if you have to contact every single one of them we need to try and stop this guy"  
They talked for another 20 minutes or so when they’d finished, Gail went over to Holly “Can I get a ride back with you?”  
"You off shift?" The brunette asked as she put away her papers.  
"Yea, and I pissed off my beautiful girlfriend yesterday then puked everywhere last night and I’m hoping while she finishes at work, I can get myself organised so I can make it up to her tonight?" She said leaning on the desk behind her.  
Holly quirked an eyebrow “I guess I could let you drive me back, I’ve only got a report to do, should be done by 7, can you pick me up then?”  
"Yes ma’am" Gail said, she walked up to her girlfriend intending on kissing her.  
Before she could Frank’s voice interrupted her “Peck, can I have a word?”  
The blonde turned “Sure” she said, she turned back to Holly “Give me five” the brunette nodded, she gave her a quick peck and went to follow Sergeant Best.

"Have a seat" Frank said as he sat at his desk.  
"Is there a problem?" Gail asked not sitting.  
"No, no problem quite the opposite actually, I wanted to ask you if your applying for the detective rotation this year?"  
The blonde sat down “I wasn’t planning on it this year, I’ve got a few things I want to do personally first and I don’t want that to interfere with work, if and when I do decide to apply”  
The Sergeant smiled at her “I’m proud of you for wanting to get things sorted first and just so you know, this didn’t come from your mother, your work on the serial case has been very good and I just wanted to offer you the chance to apply”  
"Thank you sir" Gail said standing.  
"Your off shift, go, have a good evening with your girl"

"Everything okay?" Holly asked, she was sitting at Gail’s desk clutching her files when she came back.  
"All good" she grabbed the brunette’s hand and tugged her up "Come on, I’ll get my crap so we can get outta here"

0-0-0-0-0-0

After Gail dropped Holly back at the morgue and headed out. The brunette got to work on the report she needed to finish, it was the suicide of the boy, she didn’t get to finish it yesterday due to the dump site being discovered. She was finished and proof reading it through when there was a knock on the door, thinking it was Gail coming back early she just called “Come in” without looking up.  
"Hols?" A male voice said  
"Matt?" The brunette said her head shooting up.  
"Hey big sis" her brother said leaning on the doorway with a smile.  
Holly jumped up from her seat and threw herself at him “What are you doing here?” She said into his shoulder as they hugged.  
"Well Mom called and said you’d met the one so I figured it was time I paid my sister a visit to meet this woman whose stolen her heart, plus I have a few days off and haven’t been back up here for a while"  
"Did you stop at the house?" The brunette asked as she pulled away going back to her seat, wondering if he’d already met her girlfriend.  
"No I figured I’d try here first" then he grinned "Is she at your place?"  
"Our place" Holly muttered looking down, blushing.  
"Wow my sisters u-hauling it, never thought I’d see the day"  
The brunette picked up an empty take away cup and threw it at him, he caught it easily, then tossed it in a nearby bin “So are you staying with us”  
"I booked into a hotel for tonight, just in case I was interrupting something, plus I love you Hol, but hearing you and your girl going at it, not really something I need"  
She rolled her eyes “She got drunk last night and puked everywhere so she’s crawling at the moment so I think your visit couldn’t be better timed” Holly said with a smirk.  
Matt shook his head with a smile “Okay I’ll stay at the hotel tonight, then I’ll stay in your downstairs spare room if that’s ok?” He smirked then added “little more sound proof down there”  
The brunette shook her head but understood, they were both fairly loud when it came to the physical side of their relationship “I’d better give her a heads up, she’s suppose to be making up for what happened last night, I’ll let her off the hook and we’ll go out”  
"It wasn’t my intention to get in the way, sorry, the days off came up and it’s been a while since we’ve hung out" he hopped up on the autopsy table in the room.  
"Did you see Jill?" Holly asked as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.  
"Nope, I’ll stop in to see the girls on the way back, problem is to do that I have to see her too"  
The brunette sighed “You shouldn’t really let my issues with her and that asshat she married influence your relationship with her” before he could speak Holly put the phone to her ear and put her finger up telling him to wait a sec “Hey Hun” she said when the blonde answered.  
"Your not suppose to be done yet" Gail said sounding panicked.  
She chuckled “I’m just letting you know my brothers turned up so I thought we might go out for dinner with him, he’s got a hotel room for tonight then he’ll be staying with us until…” She looked at him.  
"I’ll head back Saturday if that’s okay" Matt answered.  
"Until Saturday"  
"Oh" the blonde said, then sighed "I’ll have to move our reservations for our date on Friday night to Saturday but yea no problem now I can stop trying to destroy the kitchen cooking for you" she said sounding relieved.  
"You made reservations?" Holly asked smiling she hadn’t expected that.  
"Of course" Gail said "I want to take you out on a date, we haven’t done it since we got back together and I agreed I owe you a few dates so leave Saturday night to me"  
The brunette could tell the blonde really wanted to do it, so she left it alone “Okay, so I’ll get Matt to bring me home in about ten and then what do you think, head to the Penny for dinner?”  
"You still punishing me for last night?" The blonde asked teasingly.  
"Of course" Holly said "I’ll see you soon"  
"I love you" Gail said.  
"I love you too"  
They said good bye and the brunette looked at her brother who was smirking “Oh shut up”

0-0-0-0-0-0

"We’re home" Holly called out as they walked in.  
"Hey" Gail called from upstairs "I’ll be five minutes"  
The brunette grinned at her brother “There is soda or beer in the fridge and you know where the TV is”  
He saluted her and looked in the fridge.  
Holly walked up the stairs “Hey you” she said coming in and finding the blonde sitting on the bed, tying up the laces on her boots. She moved over and squatted in front of her.  
"Hey" Gail said she sat up and put her hand on Holly’s cheek, she gave her a kiss.  
The brunette looked at her girlfriends face, she was a lot paler than usual and she looked exhausted “Are feeling ok?” She asked going to feel her forehead.  
"Just a headache" Gail said taking her hand before she could feel it and kissing it "I haven’t eaten today, the toast and coffee I had this morning made a reappearance after you dropped me off so I kinda avoided everything"  
Holly sighed “Honey, you’re dehydrated and your sugar level is probably bottoming out, let me change and we’ll go get some dinner, I won’t even subject you to the Penny” she stood and squeezed her hand “Lay down for a minute, I think there’s a sports drink in the fridge, that will help with the headache and hold you over till we can get some food in you” she disappeared as the blonde laid down closing her eyes.  
When Holly returned, she got her to sit up, opened the drink and handed it to her “I don’t like these” she said grimacing at the flavour.  
"Drink" the brunette said from the closet "it will help"  
Gail drank it as Holly moved around her getting ready, after about ten minutes the brunette was ready. “You look beautiful” the blonde said looking up at her as she came to a stop in front of her.  
"I’m only wearing jeans and a hoodie" the brunette said with a smile.  
Gail stood up and pulled her against her “No matter what you wear, you’ll always be beautiful” she gave her a soft kiss.  
Holly moved her arms up around the blondes neck “I’m thinking it’s a good thing my brothers staying at a hotel tonight” she ran her hand through the back of Gail’s hair and noticed the heat there “Gail, you’re really hot” she said.  
The blonde gave her a lazy smile “thanks”  
"No I mean you have a fever" she felt the sides of her neck and forehead again "Crap, you’re burning up" she sat her back on the bed, as she did Gail coughed her chest rattling "Oh sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me you were sick"  
"The cough only started this afternoon" the blonde explained "I wanted to make up for yesterday and we were having dinner with your brother"  
"You are going to bed, I’ll call out for dinner for us, Matt will understand" Holly said.  
"No, Hol I’m fine, we can go" she stood up and back into the brunettes arms "I just need a coat" she said shivering.  
"Bed now" Holly said she pulled Gail’s sweater off over her head then proceeded to change her "I’ll go get you some aspirin then I’ll pop out to the pharmacy and go get us some food" she said putting her into bed.  
"I’m sorry" the blonde said as she snuggled into the blankets, she coughed again.  
"It’s okay" the brunette said kissing her forehead "I’ll call Trisha and put off our Sophie visit tomorrow until your better, we don’t want her getting sick too"  
Gail agreed with a nod. Holly grabbed the aspirin from the bathroom and gave some to her sick girlfriend, then kissed her head “I’ll be as quick as I can, call my phone if you need me” she said and headed downstairs.  
"Gail’s sick" she said walking in the sitting room where her brother was watching tv.  
He looked up “Hung over sick or sick sick?” He asked.  
"I thought it was hung over sick until I realised she had a fever and she coughed sounding like a lung was trying to escape"  
"Nice visual sis" he said.  
"I’m going to the pharmacy and to get dinner wanna come?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

When they came back Gail was out cold, Holly called Traci explaining that she was fairly certain the blonde had the flu and probably wouldn’t be in for the rest of the week. The detective told her she’d take care if things with Frank and said she would drop some of her Moms chicken soup in tomorrow.  
Holly and Matt sat at the kitchen bench eating the Chinese they bought “So what did Mom have to say about Gail?” The brunette asked as they ate.  
Her brother swallowed “She really likes her, thinks she’s good for you, just worried she’ll hurt you”  
He played with his food for a second “Jill called me not long after Mom went home, seems the girls and Dad talked about you and Gail a lot”  
"Oh yea, what did she have to say?" Holly asked as she took another mouthful.  
"Pretty much the usual, she doesn’t understand why your wasting your time pretending to be gay and that you should just get over this phase and get married to a man"  
"Why so I can be as happy as her?" She asked sarcastically.  
"We both know she only stays with that ass for the money" Matthew said "she told us both that" he kept playing with his food "I kinda blew up at her" he said looking at his dinner.  
"Why?"  
"I ran into an old friend of mine, remember the Thompson’s over the road when we were kids, I was friends with the brother and Jill was best friends with the sister?" Holly nodded "It turns out our sister dear had been telling people she’s the one who dragged me to rehab, was there every visit day and went to every Narcotics Anonymous meeting with me for the first six months"  
"WHAT?" The brunette yelled then covered her mouth, hoping she didn’t disturb Gail "You have got to be kidding me, she only turned up to the family meeting where you made amens for the things you did and that’s only so she could look like the victim"  
"I know Hol, you were there every day they would let you" he said putting his hand on hers "That’s why I blew my top, that’s why I didn’t stop on my way up and I probably won’t stop on my way back"  
"Am I interrupting?" Gail croaked from the bottom of the stairs.  
"No" Holly said getting up and going over "Come on, I got you some soup"  
She sat the blonde in the seat next to hers “Matthew this is Gail, this is my brother Matt” she said introducing them.  
"Nice to meet the girl who charmed my Mom and Dad" he said with the smile "I did think you’d look a little better though"  
Gail looked at him then at Holly “You’re like a male version of Holly” she said then put her hand over her mouth and blushed as well as a sick person could.  
"It’s okay" the brunette said rubbing her hands up and down Gail’s arms as she stood behind her "We get it a lot"  
"It’s funny cos Jill looks nothing like us, she’s more like the sperm donors side of the family" Matt said. The blonde coughed and Holly rubbed her back "She’s right you do sound like a lung is trying to escape"  
Gail turned to look at Holly “Gee thanks”  
The brunette kissed her temple “It’s an accurate description” she said and set about getting her soup ready.  
"So you’re a cop?" He asked.  
"Yea" the blonde said as Holly placed a mug of tea in front of her, she held it "what about you? Did you do years of study like your nerdy sister?"  
"No, it seems that big sis over here was the only really smart one in the family" Gail knew this wasn’t true Holly had explained that they’d all been in accelerated classes at school, drugs had gotten in Matthew’s way and the ass of a husband had stopped Jill from wanting doing anything with her brain "A few years back I discovered I have a passion for cooking and food, I work at a five star restaurant in Niagra as head chef, if I ever get up the money, I’ll buy it one day or open my own"  
Once Holly had given her girlfriend her soup they’d sat talking for a little while, Gail got about halfway through the soup and leaned on the brunette, her eyes closed “I can’t eat anymore” she whispered.  
Holly put her hand up the back of her pyjama top, her skin was hot “You’re still pretty feverish” she said kissing her head.  
Matt smiled watching his sister, he could tell she really loved this woman “I’m gonna take off” he said “Let you take care of her” he stood and went over kissing Holly’s head and ruffling Gail’s hair, she tried in vain to hit his hand away “I’ll call you tomorrow, work out when to come over”  
"Good night" the brunette said, Gail mumbled much the same.  
When he was gone, Holly turned to her sick love “Back to bed”  
Once the brunette put Gail to bed, she gave her cold and flu tablets and cuddled with her until she fell asleep. Then went down stairs to clean up. She quickly washed up and headed upstairs to bed herself.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was around four in the morning when she was woken by the sound of vomiting, Gail’s fever had spiked and as a result she’d rolled over and vomited in her sleep, luckily only onto the floor where Holly had laid a towel the night before and neglected to pick it up. The brunette got out of bed and grabbed the bucket from the bathroom managing to catch the second purge of the blondes stomach “Gail baby come on” she said trying to wake the trembling, puking blonde.  
"Hol?" She croaked leaning over the bucket "What…?" She asked groggily once she was done.  
"You’re fever’s up honey, we need to get you in the bath, you think you can manage it?"  
Gail nodded, Holly helped her up and to the bathroom, she sat her on the toilet while the bath was running, trembling, holding the bucket then quickly ran the towel from the floor, down to the laundry and put it in some soapy water to soak.  
When she got back to the bathroom, her now bright red and slightly green looking lover was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, she grabbed the thermometer from the draws in the bathroom, she put it in her ear and pressed the button “106 damn” she said “I’m sorry I have to do this” she started unbuttoning the pyjamas and pulled them off Gail’s shoulders she just groaned. Once she had her stripped down she walked her to the bath, the blonde put on leg in and pulled it out shivering worse  
"It’s cold" she said leaning into Holly.  
"It’s only just warm, you need to cool down Hun, it’s either this or I take you to the hospital" the brunette threatened, she knew her lover hated hospitals.  
Gail settled into the bath, shivering, Holly sat with her next to the bath, watching the flush start to recede in her. She took her temperature a few times once it reached 100, she helped her out of the bath, put her in clean clothes and organised her back to bed “Everything hurts” the blonde complained once she was in bed.  
"I know" the brunette said, she gave her cold and flu tablets then a flu pill to shorten the illness, she also took a flu prevention one herself, she pulled the sick woman into her arms and rested back, Gail laying against her "Not exactly the night I had in mind" she kissed the blondes head " I love you"  
"I love you too" the blonde croaked out and quickly fell asleep.

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Over the next few days, Gail spent almost all of it in bed hardly moving, only getting up to use the bathroom and find Holly when she was hungry or lonely, Steve and Traci had dropped in Wednesday after work to drop off the soup, they also met Holly’s brother. The brunette had been home looking after her girlfriend, she had the office email over any evidence analysis that was completed so she could do the reports, Holly hated that her girlfriend was so sick but it had given her an opportunity to spend more time with her brother.  
Friday morning came and Gail was up and out of bed, she was still weak but much better than she had been. The brunette was sitting on the couch reading results to do with the serial case, they currently had three suspects and she needed to help weed the innocent ones out. Gail was currently snoozing with her head on her lap, she’d been up and actually eaten a decent breakfast but doing so had zapped her energy. Matt walked out of the spare room “Nice to see her at least out of bed and not looking like she’s from night of the living dead”  
"Quiet you" she said then noticed he was dressed formally "Where are you off to?"  
"I went and visited that new restaurant that’s opening on King St, just to have a look and the manager asked me to come back and meet the owner, seems he visited Niagra earlier this year and liked my cooking" he said walking to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water.  
"I didn’t know you were looking for another job" Holly said, report forgotten, her hand now running through Gail’s short hair.  
Matt shrugged “I wasn’t but sometimes these opportunities come up, plus nothing’s holding me down there and I think it’s time I proved to myself I can live here without using”  
The brunette nodded “Well whatever you decide, we’ll be here for you, no judgement, plus Mom and Dad are back for good in November”  
"So Mom said, I know she loved teaching in New York but I can hear it in her voice she’s ready to come home" he looked at his watch "I better go, wish me luck?"  
"Good luck little brother" she said "Not that you’ll need it"  
He blew her a kiss then stopped “Get that girl of yours healthy enough today, I wanna take you both out tonight” he said and disappeared.  
Holly looked down at the still slumbering blonde, her nose was red and she still had that awful chesty cough but her fever had finally broke and she no longer looked green, she leaned down and kissed her forehead and went back you reading the results.  
About ten minutes later the brunette got an email with the results for some fibres that were on one of the victims, two of the three workers who attended the boarding house were licensed electricians, they both also worked for and an electric company “YES” Holly exclaimed loudly.  
"Hol?" Gail asked looking up at her "everything ok?"  
"I’m sorry honey, I didn’t mean to wake you, I think I just cleared one of our suspects and incriminated the other two hopefully or opened up our suspect pool"  
"How?" The blonde croaked, still laying on her lap.  
"I found fibres on one of the victims and from the looks of this report it directly matches the uniform worn by the electric company two of them work for, I’ll need to go in and double check but it could be a very solid piece of evidence"  
Gail smiled up at her “They wouldn’t be getting anywhere with this without you, you know that don’t you”  
Holly leaned forward giving her a kiss “unfortunately it means I’ll have to go in for a while”  
The blonde put her hand up on her lovers cheek “I should probably stop by the station now I can stand for longer than a minute, let them know I’m alive”  
The brunette shook her head “No you should stay here and rest, Matt wants to take us out tonight since he’s heading back tomorrow”  
"That’s gonna be harder than going to the station" Gail said " But if it’s his shout I’m sure I can find the energy" she added with a smirk.  
"Yes well he hasn’t seen your normal appetite so more fool him"  
"Can you drop me at the station?" The blonde asked.  
"Ok but I’ll only be an hour or so then you’re coming back eating lunch and resting for the afternoon, got it"

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"Wow" Nick said as Gail walked into the homicide office "they said you were sick but you look terrible"  
Andy who was sitting next to him leaned over and slapped the back of his head “Thanks” the blonde said with a smirk.  
"Hey" Traci said getting up, she too hit Nick "She looks better trust me" she sat back down "Should you be resting? You’re off till Monday"  
"I know I just wanted to see where things were up to" she said sitting on the corner of the detectives desk.  
"Cabin fever huh?" Traci asked.  
"Like you wouldn’t believe, I hadn’t noticed till I could actually move" Gail said, she grabbed a tissue off her friends desk and coughed.  
"Ouch" Andy said on hearing it "maybe you should get that checked"  
"I live with a doctor McNally, she’s watching it trust me"  
"She’s a dead person doctor" Nick pointed out.  
Gail rolled her eyes “She still studied medicine and did some of her residency on live patients” she pointed out, then coughed again.  
"We’re gonna go follow up on something" Andy said grabbing Nick’s arm and dragging him away before he could put his foot in his mouth again.  
Traci chuckled, the blonde was looking at the photos on the board “These them?” She asked.  
"Yep, from what we’ve got so far, James Allen, Robert Mitchell and Ray Jones" the detective said, she pointed to the first two "these two work for the same electric company, jones is a freelance handyman"  
"You got anymore than they visit the boarding house and work with electrical wire?" Gail asked looking at the two Holly thinks she can prove were with one of the victims.  
Traci handed her a folder “Both Allen and Mitchell have priors for assault”  
Before the blonde could comment Holly and Sam walked in “Peck” he said “You look like shit, go home”  
Ignoring him Gail turned to the brunette “Was it right?” She asked.  
Holly nodded, she handed Traci the file “The fibre I found that wasn’t consistent with the victims clothing turns out to be from the uniform from Hydro One worn by two of our friends here, the fibre was in the wound so it had to be from the killer” she sighed “Thing is, being an electric company they also do maintenance on there wires, someone else could have seen the girls coming and going from the boarding house”  
"Good point" Sam said "I’ll get McNally and Collins to check with the company and see who was working that area around the times the girls disappeared, see if there is anything there"  
Holly stood next to Gail who leaned heavily on her “You ok?” She asked.  
The blonde nodded “Do you think it’s one of these two?” She asked Traci pointing at the pictures.  
"I thought I knew but I think I’ll wait to speculate"  
"It’s him" Gail said pointing to James Allen.  
"Why do you say that?" The detective asked.  
"Gut instinct" the blonde said with a shrug.

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Hours later, Gail was upstairs having a nap while Holly finished a report with Matt playing the Playstation, she had just emailed it off to Traci when she heard scream come from upstairs. She pushed the laptop to the floor and they both took off up the stairs taking them two at a time, when they hit the bedroom door, what Holly saw broke her heart, Gail was in the throws of a nightmare, the blankets were gone and she was scratching at her wrists, obviously thinking she was bound “I’ve got it” the brunette said pushing her brother out of the room and going to close the door.  
"Hol" he said pushing the door back. The woman on the bed let out another anguished cry.  
"Just go, I’ll explain later" she said closing it "Gail" she said as she sat on the bed "Gail honey, it’s a dream" she said shaking her. The blonde was fighting her off "Gail" Holly said shaking her. The blondes movements stopped suddenly and she sat bolt upright "HOLLY" she yelled out.  
"Right here" she said.  
Gail turned her head looking at her, she looked confused “Holly?” She asked.  
"Yea I’m here love" she said reaching out and taking her hand.  
The blonde broke down, she rested her head on her girlfriends lap and cried.

0-0-0

Once she had recovered from the nightmare, Gail had gone for a bath and Holly headed downstairs to reassure her brother. Matt was sitting at the bench with a beer in his hand “That’s PTSD” he said “She probably has waking dreams too”  
"She’s in therapy" the brunette said going to make both her and Gail a cup of tea.  
"What happened to her?" He asked.  
Holly had explained to Gail that he’d seen her and asked if she could tell him the basics so he understood, she’d agreed “She was kidnapped by a serial killer, drugged, raped and a detective, her friends fiancé was killed saving her” she said “So yea she has PTSD, it’s not bad, she can go weeks without nightmares and doesn’t have any real anger issues, the serial killer case she’s working is stirring things up right now” Holly explained “None of this goes past us ok”  
"Of course" he said and took a drink "She seems pretty good most of the time though"  
"She is" the brunette said "she’s worked really hard to get over it and the issues she has" she finished making the teas.  
"We can stay home tonight if you think she’d be better off" he offered.  
"Acting like you saw nothing and not making a big deal about it is the best thing you could do right now" Holly said and headed upstairs.

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Gail came down a while later, Holly had given her tea and offered to stay but the blonde wanted some time to process. When she came into the sitting room she found Matt teaching her lover how to play one of the games “Can I join in?” She said.  
The brunette looked over and smiled “Of course” The blonde walked over and sat between Holly’s legs on the floor, she looked up at her “you okay?” The brunette asked resting her hand on her cheek.  
Gail curled her finger getting her to come down closer, when she did she gave her a kiss “I’m okay, just the usual, I’ve got an appointment on Monday morning before shift” she kissed her again then looked to Matt “Time to kick the newbies ass”

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A/N - We have something in Australia called tamiflu, it’s helps you recover from the flu and helps prevent it I’m sure you guys have it too just wanted to explain what Holly gave Gail and herself.

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	12. Chapter Twelve

Hey all sorry about the delay in posting. I wasn't really sure about this one so I waited a day or two. Hope you enjoy thanks for all the awesome reviews. Please read and review as usual reviews make the muse work faster.

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disclaimer - I do not own anything but the plot and the characters I create, I do not profit from this.

 

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Chapter twelve

 

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"I can't believe you beat me" Matt said as they walked in the diner, they'd decided to only go out for a little while as Gail was still unwell and fairly weak.

"It's a talent" the blonde said with a smirk.

"It's having too much time on your hands" Holly said leading the blonde by the hand.

"Hey" Gail said tugging her back, the brunette just smiled and kissed her.

"That's enough love birds" the brunette man said pushing them forward.

Holly poked him in the ribs before they sat "Shut up, you haven't been subjected to it all week"

"Yea only cos of night of the living dead here"

"Hey" Gail said and pouted "I couldn't help it"

Her girlfriend put her hand on her leg under the table, she slid it down the the inseam on her jeans and rubbed her fingers across it, the blonde looked over at her but Holly didn't look at her, she knew she was teasing her.

"So, how was the interview?" The brunette asked her brother.

"Interview?" Gail asked looking up from the menu she was looking at, trying to ignore Holly's wandering hand.

"I had an interview at that new restaurant opening on King today" he explained, Gail nodded impressed "Well as it turns out I might need somewhere to stay for few weeks starting the end of September"

"You got it?" Holly asked.

"Yep, I get last say on the menu and some freedom on specials, the great thing is they're offering me to be a partner in the business" He looked really excited.

"Can you afford it?" His sister asked her hand stopping it's movement on the blondes leg "I mean I know you've been saving" she didn't want to dampen his excitement but she wanted him to think about it too.

"Hol, don't worry I'm getting it all checked by a lawyer, I'm not blowing my future on a bad investment" Matt explained.

Holly breathed a sigh of relief "Good, okay well let us know when you'll need the room and well set something up" the brunettes hand resumed it's movement on her girlfriends leg.

"Why are we at a diner when we should be out celebrating?" Gail asked looking between the two.

"Because you're still sick" he said "And honestly I can't think of anywhere I would like to be than with my favourite sister and her girlfriend, even if it's at a diner" he stood up "I need to use the bathroom, if they ever serve us, get me a coke and a bacon hamburger with fries" he left them.

The blonde smiled, she leaned her head on Holly's shoulder as she wiped her nose with a tissue "I like him"

The brunette kissed her head "He likes you, he's never really liked any of my girlfriends before, let alone wanted to hang out with them"

"If he's gonna stay with us" Gail started then looked up at Holly "Maybe we should tell him about Sophie"

The brunette grinned "Really? I've wanted to, I just thought you might wanna wait till we got some answers"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders "We don't know when that will be and I was thinking about talking to Steve about it, if that's ok with you" 

Holly put her hand up and put it on the side of Gail's face "I'm okay with it if you are"

The waitress interrupted their conversation, by the time they put in their orders, Matt had come back. 

"So Gail, what's your family like?" He asked once the waitress left.

The blonde rolled her eyes "A family" she said, Matt raised an eyebrow, much like his sister did when she knew she was avoiding a question "They're okay, they are all police, my brother works in the same division as I do, they took the whole coming out thing okay but I think that had to do with how impressed they were by your sister" it was bad enough Holly knew her family, she would shelter the brunettes family from them as long as she could.

"Moms talking about having a family thing when they come back" he said, the waitress came and dropped off their drinks, coke for Matt, diet coke for Holly and orange juice for Gail at her girlfriends insistence "I don't know about you but not really interested"

"Depends what family means now doesn't it, also depends on the day too, 21st of November is out" Holly said looking at the blonde who just smiled at her.

"What's the 21st?" He asked looking between them.

"My birthday" Gail said.

"And we already have plans so it's out" the brunette insisted.

The blonde looked at her "Do we now?" She asked.

"Yes we do" Holly said, she slid her hand up Gail's leg to the apex of her thighs and briefly touched her.

The blonde managed not to gasp and the brunettes fingers retreated but they had the desired effect "We have plans" she said to Matt.

"I'm a little scared about what just transpired between you so I won't ask for my own safety" he said "But I'll mention it to Mom if you don't speak to her first"

"There's something Holly wants to tell you, well actually we want to tell you" Gail said picking up Holly's hand under the table to encourage her.

He looked between them "Whats wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing" the brunette pulled out her phone and showed him her wallpaper, it was Gail and Sophie, both with huge smiles on their faces, it had been taken when they went out for pizza the week before "this is Sophie" she said handing him the phone "she's 8, she lost her mom to a gang shooting gone wrong and she's beautiful and smart and...." She looked at Gail and squeezed her hand, this was the first person they had told "And we're thinking about adopting her if they can't find her family"

"Wow" Matt said, he looked at the two women in front of him "You two are really sure about this aren't you?"

"Yes" Gail said "We want to make sure she gets the best home she can, even if it's not with us"

He smiled at the blonde "I get that" he put his hand on Holly's "I'm all for it guys, if it's what you want"

They both relaxed, thankful he didn't have a bad reaction. The waitress picked that moment to interrupt them with their dinner.

"So when do you find out about her family?" He asked as he started on his burger.

"When either we or they find them" Gail explained, picking up the grilled cheese sandwich she'd ordered.

"My lawyers looking into it for us" Holly explained.

He nodded "Well I think it's great, if you two are happy, I'm all for it"

 

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They ate talking about anything and everything, Gail got about halfway through her juice and sandwich when started leaning on Holly and stopped eating "How are you holding up?" The brunette asked.

"I'm okay, just so tired" the blonde said with a yawn.

Holly kissed her head, partially to feel if she had a fever "You are a little warm"

"Maybe we should get her home" Matt offered looking concerned.

"I'm okay, you two" Gail said.

"I'm done anyway" he said, his plate was empty.

"I don't wanna make you go home though, we should go for a drink, celebrate your job" the blonde offered.

"I'd rather hang out with you guys" he said, he grabbed the bill "I'll meet you at the car" he went to the cashier to pay.

Holly took Gail's hand "Come on, let's get you back to bed"

"I'll make you a deal" the blonde said getting up "I'll lay down as long as its on the couch, so I can spend time with you" The brunette gave her a look "And him too, but you tell him" she threatened.

Holly wrapped her arms around Gail, once they had walked out of the diner, on the way to the car "What are you gonna do if I do?" She murmured in her ear, her hands slipping higher, rubbing over her breasts.

The blonde shuddered "Fuck Hol" she whispered "between you groping me in there and out here"

"A little turned on are we?" The brunette said and kissed her neck.

"You definitely are" Gail said.

"Of course I am, it's almost been a week" Holly said, now pulling her shirt aside so she can kiss her shoulder.

The blonde chuckled, since they'd been back together they had sex everyday usually more than once and since Monday they had their first dry spell, since her Vancouver trip, thanks to her being sick. As much as she herself wanted to end it, she knew she probably wasn't quite up to what her girlfriend will be wanting. She pulled away and turned around, she took both of the brunettes hands "trust me I might have been sick but I'm well aware of how much we've both missed each.

 

 

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When they got back, Gail passed out quickly on the couch, her head on Holly's lap, her feet in Matt's "Does mom really want to do some family thing?" the brunette asked her brother as she ran her fingers through her slumbering girlfriends hair, they were watching some documentary on TV. 

Matt leaned on his hand and looked at her "Hol, I don't want to do it anymore than you do"

"I don't want to subject her to it" she said softly, looking at the blonde on her lap.

"Maybe he won't do it, I mean after that fight...." 

"Do you really believe me yelling at him would stop him doing anything?" She said interrupting.

"Honestly? No I don't, plus my god sis, you got a hottie right here, he will definitely say something " he agreed "One thing though, you could give Gail free rein to do what she wants if he does do it, now that will be worth seeing"

Holly couldn't help but smile "Very true, if Gail's one thing it's loyal and protective" she looked down at her "And yes very hot" she added with a chuckle "Not sure how I feel about you commenting on it though"

Matt put his hands up "You got nothing to worry about here you know that, she's all yours, I can just appreciate a beautiful person"

"Have you been seeing anyone?" She asked wanting to change the subject from her girlfriend.

"I haven't really wanted to, I've been out a few times but I've not really felt that..."

"I was like that until..."

"I'm not coming out sis, I told you that" he said picking fluff off Gail's sock "I'm not ready"

"So dating women helps you with that?" Holly asked "because years of playing it straight did nothing for me"

"Or me" the blonde said sleepily, she rolled over looking at Matt.

"What is this coming out intervention?" He said and poked the foot in his lap "Had enough interventions to last a lifetime"

"No" Gail said kicking him "I was sleeping happily and you woke me up declaring your straightness" Holly chuckled, the blonde continued "Look I just dealt with all this crap myself, trust me no matter how scared you are, it's so much better once your out. It's not like you have no idea if you'll be accepted by your family, your sister is gay and out"

"Jill..."

"Fuck Jill, it's your life not hers" Gail said "I might get Steve to do a background check on her and her husband, see if there's something I can use when your mom has this family thing your both so terrified of"

"Were you awake the whole time?" Holly asked

"No, I just know you and from what you've both said I already know you don't want to go" They both looked at her "I'm a cop people, I'm taught to pay attention to details" she yawned then turned to Matt "Nobody wants to make you come out, you do that yourself, on your own terms, your sister just wants you to be happy, if being with guys makes you happy, then be with guys, it's no ones business but your own, just be happy" she sat up between them "I'm gonna shower and head to bed" she leaned over and gave Holly a quick kiss, she leaned over to do the same to Matt who shoved her, she chuckled and headed up stairs, her laugh turning into a cough as she went.

"I like her" he said after she was gone.

"So do I" Holly said dreamily.

Matt laughed "Moms right isn't she, she's the one"

The brunette looked at her brother "Yea, she is" she said with a smile.

"Go" he said knowing she wanted to follow her to the shower.

"But you're leaving tomorrow"

"Go, just keep it down"

 

 

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When Holly walked in the bedroom, she found the blonde bending over getting shorts out to sleep in, the brunette walked up behind her, put her hands on her ass and slid them down her thighs "Hey" she said softly as Gail leaned back into her.

"Hey" she said back as Holly's arms slid around her.

"How about we make this shower a bath?' The brunette said and kissed her neck.

"Sounds good" the blonde agreed, her voice a little shaky.

"I need you" Holly whispered unbuttoning the blondes top. Once it was open she slid her hands up across her abs to her bra clad breasts.

"Holly" Gail groaned as her knees went weak, she grabbed the back of her head and held onto her arm that was around her waist to hold herself up "I need you too baby and I'm usually happy with making love whenever and wherever you want it but I'm too weak, let's get in the bath first"

The brunette made quick work of their clothes and quickly ran the bath, with in a few minutes they were in the in the bath, Gail resting against Holly's body "Feeling better?" She asked the blonde as she ran the soaped up sponge over her body.

"Mmmmm" the blonde mumbled enjoying her lovers hands on her body "How are you feeling?" She asked back, running her hands up and down the brunettes thighs.

"You know how I'm feeling" Holly whispered in her ear, as she ran her the sponge across Gail's breasts, making sure to brush her thumb across her nipples.

"Between feeling me up at the diner, in the carpark, and in the bedroom, yea I know your horny baby" the blonde turned over on top of the brunette, she shifted her hips against her. She took the sponge off Holly and picked up both her hands, linking their fingers "How about we finish in here then we can take care of your problem in bed"

 

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They got out of the bath and headed to the bedroom together. Holly stopped Gail at the bottom of the bed and pulled the naked blonde against her "Are you sure your up to this?" She said running her hands up and down the blondes back.

Gail smirked at her "Why are you gonna take care of it yourself?" She asked.

The brunette raised an eyebrow in return, knowing it was a dare "Well if your still not feeling well enough..." Holly released her and walked around the bed, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind for them but Gail had said it to tease her when she was trying to make sure she was okay, so instead of reacting, she decided to go for it.

"Really?" The blonde asked her eyebrows almost hitting her hair line.

The brunette sat back on the bed looking at her lover, she could see by the look in her eye she liked the idea. She patted the bed next to her, Gail moved over and sat next to her, Holly rested a hand on the blondes thigh and her other one went to her own breast, she moaned softly as she took the nipple between her thumb and finger.

"Fuck" she heard Gail whisper next to her, she could feel the tension in the blonde she was fighting between wanting to watch and wanting to touch, knowing the blonde she wouldn't hold out for long so Holly decided to move things along, she slowly trailed her fingers from her breast down her body, she shifted her hips forward and spread her legs, as she reached the top of her shaved mound, she heard the blonde hold her breath, she slipped her fingers into her wet folds going straight for her clit, moaning as she did, Gail couldn't take anymore, she grabbed the brunettes wrist and tugged her hand away, she moved over the top of Holly, her mouth going to her breasts and one hand straight to her sex, she found her clit and rubbed circles over it.

"Oh fuck" Holly moaned out, her hands going into the short blonde hair as Gail sucked on her nipple. She grabbed the hair and tugged the blonde up to her kissing her passionately, tongues duelling.

Gail's fingers slid from her clit and moved down, she dipped her fingers inside of her, she broke the kiss "You want that baby?" She asked looking her in the eye "You want me to make you cum?"

Holly's hips were moving against her hand "Please" she asked.

The blonde slid two fingers inside her "God you're so wet baby" she moaned out as she started a gentle rhythm.

"It's you" the brunette moaned "deeper" she instructed.

Without quickening the pace Gail pushed deeper inside her, feeling the spot that usually pushed Holly over the edge, the blonde shifted so her own dripping sex was over the brunettes thigh and started to slowly rock against it with the same pace as her thrusts.

Holly slipped her hand between her leg and Gail, she found the blondes clit and starting rubbing it wanting the other woman with her when she came undone.

"Oh fuck Hol" Gail said "I'm so close already"

"Faster" the brunette said.

Gail thrust faster into the brunettes already soaked pussy adding a finger and moving so her thumb could brush her clit.

Holly started to tumble over the edge "Cum with me" she moaned, the blonde let go calling out the brunettes name, they fell over the peak together, twitching and moaning each other's names, Gail collapsed against her girlfriend completely spent and exhausted. When Holly realised she wasn't just resting and had actually fallen asleep on her she moved her to the side and spooned her from behind. She kissed her on the head "Thank you" she murmured and quickly followed into a peaceful slumber.

 

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Holly was fast asleep when a noise disturbed her, she was confused as to what had woken her for a few seconds until she felt the blonde was moving in her sleep, again in the throws of a nightmare "God no, please don't please" she mumbled, crying.

"Gail" the brunette took her by the shoulders "honey it's a dream" she said softly.

"No" Gail cried out.

"Gail, sweetie it's okay" Suddenly, she stopped moving, Holly knew what was coming and moved back. She sat bolt upright, vice grip on the sheets, panting heavily, she squinted her eyes shut, trying to push away the last of the dream. The brunette rubbed her back "Bad one?" She whispered.

Gail nodded, not looking at her, still holding onto the sheets. Holly waited, giving her a minute. Eventually the blonde relaxed, looked at her and sobbed. She pulled Gail into her arms and laid back, her girlfriend resting against her chest crying, she kissed her head. These moments broke her heart, watching the woman she loved more than anything having to go through this on what was becoming a nightly basis was hard. Never would she leave her with, or because of it, the event that causes the issues is part of who she is and Holly wouldn't give her up for anything.

 

 

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Monday morning came quickly, after deciding to reschedule the date until the following Friday night when the blonde would be more up to it and after saying good bye to Matt, they spent most of the weekend relaxing, which consisted of Gail watching TV and playing games and Holly doing research trying to decide on what to write her book about. Of course there were periods of lovemaking when the police woman was up to it, otherwise it was fairly quiet.

 

"Honey?" The brunette called from the bottom of the stairs. There was no answer "Gail?" She called again. She'd tried to wake her up three times now, she needed the blonde to drop her off at work prior to her therapy appointment before her shift, she didn't want to have to take both cars when they didn't work far from each other and were finishing at the same time. She sighed and walked back upstairs. As she walked in the bedroom she wasn't surprised to see the lump still under the blanket where she'd left her, she sat on the side of the bed, she knew the blonde was on her stomach, she rubbed her back "Hey" she said softly, Gail's body twitched, indicating she had been asleep "You feeling okay?"

"Tired" she murmured.

Holly pulled the blanket back, the blonde rolled over "You didn't have a good night did you?"

Gail looked up at her "I tried not to wake you"

"You didn't, you should have but I just know the look you get after a bad night"

The blonde pulled the brunette down on the top of her "I love you" she said tears in her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Holly asked one of her hands, brushing the tears away "Do you want me to call in for you, let you rest another day?"

Gail gulped, trying to pull the tears back "No I need to go back, it's just the..... The dreams, they're getting bad, since I was sick..." She stopped, her voice shaking badly.

The brunette didn't really know what to do, she leaned in and kissed the blonde softly, she pulled back and rested their heads together "I'll let you take your time getting ready and take my car"

"I can get up" Gail said and sniffed.

Holly shook her head "You've got an hour if I drive myself" she kissed her again "Will you come see me before your shift?" The blonde nodded "I love you Gail, no matter what, I love you"

Gail put her hands in the brunettes hair "I love you too" they kissed gently for a few minutes, neither deepening it, both just needing the connection.

"I better go" Holly said, she gave her one last kiss and got up "I'll see you in a couple of hours, I'll text if I get called away"

 

 

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Holly was elbow deep in the chest cavity of a gang shooting victim when there was a knock on the door behind her "Hey" the voice said.

The brunette turned "Hey" she answered "thanks for coming down"

"Well when you called you sounded upset" the woman said coming over and putting her hand on the brunettes back.

"Sarah" Holly said, trying to shrug her off "I didn't call you for that, I'm with Gail, I'm happy with Gail, hell I'm living with her"

Sarah took a step back and crossed her arms "So why the call?"

The brunette sighed, looked into the body and back to what was essentially her ex "I need professional advice, well your professional advice on something personal"

"Oh" the shorter blonde said "Sorry I just figured when you called, it was because..."

"No" Holly said "I don't plan on ever calling anyone other than Gail for that"

"I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to assume you were single, so what can I help you with?" She asked.

"PTSD, I need some information on dealing with some suffering with it, dos and don'ts sort of thing"

"Who?" The blonde asked with a frown "Gail?"

"I'm not sharing that, I didn't really want.... I just need the information, if you don't want to help I..." Holly didn't really want to see the other woman, she'd called her wanting the information but she'd gotten the wrong idea and insisted she was in the area "I just need you to email me some stuff"

"Alright" Sarah said "I'll send you some stuff" she took a step towards Holly "You can talk to me about things you know"

"You just made it really obvious that I can't, look it's fine I'll get the information from somewhere else" she sighed "Just go"

"Holly" the blonde said

"You heard her, go" Gail said from the doorway.

Sarah looked from the blonde to Holly "Fine" she said and left.

"You okay?" Gail asked.

The brunette put the lung in her hands back in the body, she pulled her gloves and cover apron off, washed her hands and went to the blonde "I'm fine are you okay?"

Gail took both her hands "So that was Sarah huh?" She said with a smirk, Holly frowned "You think I didn't look into her when you said you'd been seeing someone" the brunette went to speak "I only did it to make sure she was good enough"

"Your not angry?" Holly asked.

The blonde squeezed her hands "That she was here, no. She's a therapist you obviously felt the need to talk to someone so, why should I be upset"

"Somehow I thought you would be upset that I was....."

"Here with a sort of ex?" Gail said, she pulled her closer.

"Yea" Holly said.

"I'm secure enough in us not to worry about that stuff, plus I work with two of my exes almost everyday, I can't exactly say much"

The brunette put her arms around her girlfriend, she kissed her softly "You are awesome" she said pulling back.

"I am" Gail said with a smirk.

"How did it go?" Holly asked running her hands up and down the blondes back.

Gail's face fell, she sighed "I've...." She sniffed "I have to go see her again in a few days"

"Okay" the brunette said, she waited knowing she would continue.

"She thinks maybe I should go on medication, anti-anxiety meds and an antidepressant, I said I wanted to talk to you first" she slid her arms up Holly's chest, "She also, well I do too" she looked at her hands "want you to come to my next appointment"

The brunette knew this was big for Gail, this was letting her in completely "Really?"

The blonde smirked "You can smile, Stewart" she looked up at her "I know you want to"

Holly did, she put her hands on Gail's face "Thank you" she kissed her softly.

"So we have an appointment on Thursday at 3, I'll arrange my shift can you.... "

"I'll be there" the brunette kissed her again.

The blonde looked at the clock on the wall "I better go, I'm suppose to be in by 10"

"Lunch?"

"I'll try, just don't let any little bitchy blondes in here okay" she said and kissed her.

Holly smirked and squeezed her "Well you'd better stay out" 

"You know what I meant" 

"Yes I did, you just left yourself open" The brunette said.

"Yea yea, if McSucky let's me,, I'll at least drop some lunch off for you" Gail kissed her one last time "I really have to go" she pulled away, taking her hand as she did.

"I love you" Holly said.

"I love you too" the blonde said as finally dropped her hand and she left.

 

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After parade, Traci, Sam, Andy and Gail met with Frank "Where are we on this, I've had calls from the higher ups they want something have we got any suspects?"

"Well there is the two electricians that attended the boarding house, there is three others who carry out regular calls in the area that were there around the times these girls would have gone missing" Sam explained.

"So five, what about the calls about missing girls, anything new turn up on that?"

"We've put calls out across the country, any new reports on any women known to be in the Toronto area that disappear we will be contacted" Traci said 

"How about picking the five up?" Frank asked "Bringing them in, see if we can't shake them up a bit"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea" Sam said "We do that, we can't hold them, if he is one of them we could spook him and never get him"

The older man nodded "Fair enough, try and narrow it down somehow" he stood "We need to get this guy" he walked out.

"So" Traci said "Any ideas?"

"Yea arrest James Allen" Gail said sitting back.

"Gail" the female detective said trying to get her to drop it.

"Why do you think it's him?" Sam asked.

"A feeling" Gail said with a shrug.

"Peck" he said.

"Seriously, it's a feeling a crappy, creepy feeling I get looking at his picture okay I don't know why" the blonde explained.

"Okay" Traci said, she knew the other woman had been struggling "There are some local missing persons we should double check" she reach over to the file on her desk "You and Andy go check them out they're local women but it might be worth checking"

"Sure" Gail said grabbing the list, she headed out the door.

"Go" Swarek said to Andy "Do you think there is anything to her hunch?" He said once his girlfriend was gone.

"She was grabbed by....." Traci sighed "it's possible"

 

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"Well that wasn't helpful" Gail said as they walked back to the squad car, they'd spoken to all but one of the reporting people on the missing persons reports.

"I think we're wasting our time" Andy said as she slid into the drivers seat "last one then lunch?" She asked.

"You never know McNally one of these could be his next victim" the blonde said "follow every lead even if it's a long shot"

"I get it" the brunette said "what about the boarding house, maybe it's not the only connection all these girl have, maybe there's a club, or something else that ties them together" she added as she pulled the car into traffic.

"We probably would have found it by now" the blonde pointed out.

 

0-0-0

 

The last person wasn't very helpful either, her daughter hadn't been in Toronto for years, she'd gone missing in Vancouver "We need to do more than this" Andy said.

"We need to do as were told, if we have a lead we could follow it but right now there's nothing to follow" Gail said, she just wanted to get back to the station so she could go have lunch with her girl, the morning at the therapist had left her with a need to be with Holly.

"Come on Gail, you know better than anyone what these bastards are like, after Perick"

"Please, just stop okay, just stop" the blonde said, shaking her head.

"Gail?" Andy asked as the blondes breathing sped up.

"Just......" She was panting "Holly" she panted out.

"Okay" the brunette said, she didn't care if she got into trouble, she hit the sirens, the blonde was breathing shallow and panicking "Deep breaths" she said.

Gail coughed, the hyperventilating setting off her still healing body.

As they drove Andy called Holly explaining and asking that she meet them in the parking lot. She pulled in to see the brunette there with a med kit. She pulled up next to her and the doctor pulled the door open, revealing her pale girlfriend "Oh honey" she said seeing her in a full blown panic attack.

"Go get a drink, just a juice from my office fridge" Holly said wanting to get rid of Andy "Gail?" She said pulling the blondes legs around so she was facing her, she was spacing out and breathing hard, as far as the brunette could tell she was either having a waking dream or something had just set her off "Gail honey, please come back" she said resting her hands on her cheeks, "it's over love, your safe now"

She did the only thing she though might get through to her, she leaned in and kissed her, just a peck and whispered "I love you"

"Holly?" Gail said weakly "why are we, what happened?"

Holly sighed with relief and kissed the blonde again, never one to pass up kisses Gail just enjoyed it. The brunette pulled back "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I think so, how did we get here?" She asked.

"You had a panic attack in the car, Andy bought you here, she said you asked her to" Holly felt her forehead making sure this wasn't illness related "What do you remember?"

"We talked to the last person on our list and left, I remember thinking I would be able to come have lunch with you and then......" Gail frowned "well I guess now, when you told me you love me, it was like I woke up" she shook her head as if it would help her remember.

"Something must have been said to trigger you" the doctor said.

"I did it" Andy said from behind her, she held out the bottle to her partner, the blonde took it "I mentioned him"

"As in?" Holly asked.

"Yes" the other officer said, not wanting to say it again.

The doctor looked at Gail who shrugged "I really don't remember"

Holly turned to Andy "Well, Now she's here I'll take her for lunch and drop her off soon" she helped the blonde out of the car.

 

0-0-0

 

Gail, who was sitting in the brunettes chair, got off the phone with her therapist, Holly had insisted she call after what happened and she had briefly spoken to her as well "She's doing up the request for the pills, we'll pick it up before you drop me off. She's also gonna drop in at home tonight" she looked over to her lover.

"She told me" she said nodding "This ever happened before?" The brunette asked.

"No, I even handled being in the same room as him to try and save another girl once and it didn't even happen then" the blonde said with a sigh.

Holly walked over and stood in front of her "It's this case, right?" She put her hands on Gail's cheeks turning her face up so their eyes met.

The blonde clenched her jaw "I should be able to do my job"

"Sweetheart, you went through a major trauma, it's normal that it effects your life" she leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. When she pulled back, she brushed her thumb on her cheek "Let's go get something to eat?" She suggested, knowing they would be talking about this later on. 

 

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"You okay?" Andy asked as Gail walked in the parade room.

Thankfully no one else was there "I'm fine" she said as she dropped into a seat. The other officer gave her a look "I'm seeing my therapist tonight, just don't tell everyone, if it becomes an issue I'll talk to Frank"

"Was that the first time?" Andy asked.

The blonde looked at her, the old Gail would just make a snide remark and end the conversation, even if she didn't like it, the brunette had helped her today "Yea, I've never had anything like that happen before"

"I'm sorry" Andy said "I didn't mean to set off a panic attack"

The blonde pulled her phone from her pocket "it's fine, not your fault" she said, she pushed a few buttons on her phone and put it to her ear, effectively killing the conversation "Detective Nash, were here for the 1.30 check in, where are you?"

 

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"I'm home" Holly called as she came in the front door, she knew her girlfriend was there as her SUV was sitting in the driveway.

"Hey baby" Gail called from the couch, she stood and came to greet her, game controller in her hand, she gave the brunette a quick kiss and helped her with the shopping bags "You making a feast?" She asked looking at the bags.

"I thought I'd cook tonight" she said putting the remaining bags on the bench. She grabbed Gail before she could head back to her game "How was the rest of your shift?" She said tugging her against her body.

"Nothing significant, just wasted more time checking missing persons from around here" the blonde said as she put her controller on the bench and put her arms around her girlfriends neck, she gave her a quick kiss "Janine called earlier, she should be here around 7.30"

Holly looked over at the clock "Alright, I'll shower and be down by then"

Gail scrunched her nose "You have a floater?" She asked.

The brunette pushed at her but the blonde held on smiling "You're rude" Holly said.

"And you're hot" Gail countered and kissed her again, she pulled back "And smelly" she let go grabbed her controller and took off to the couch.

"You'll keep Peck" the brunette said and unloaded the groceries.

 

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Within an hour the there was a knock at the door. Holly was in the kitchen, she wiped her hands off and headed to the door "Hi" she said, there was an older blonde woman there "You must be Janine" she said and pushed her glasses up "I'm Holly"

"Nice to put a face to the name" the other woman said.

The brunette invited her in and offered her to set up on the dining table, while she located the blonde. She found Gail in their bedroom looking at something on her iPad "You have a visitor" she said.

The blonde looked up "Sorry, I lost track of time"

Holly sat next to her "What had you so distracted?" 

Gail showed her what she was looking at, it was a website about artificial insemination "Don't freak out I was just having a look"

The brunette put her hand on the blondes back "I'm very aware that you want to be a mom, I'm not freaked out"

"I just wanted to see what was involved, trying to get my mind off other things" the blonde sighed "between the case and the waiting with Sophie, I feel like I'm going nuts" she looked to Holly "what if they say we can't have her because of my.... problems?"

"We should have this conversation with Janine, don't you think?" The brunette pointed out "she might be able to answer that"

Gail nodded put the iPad on the bed and stood, she held out her hand to her girlfriend.

 

 

"Coffee?" Holly offered as they appeared in the dining room.

"Tea?" Janine asked.

"Of course" the brunette said with a smile "Honey?"

"Tea please" Gail said.

Holly disappeared into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" The therapist asked as Gail sat opposite her "I get the feeling there's been more going on than you told me about this morning"

The blonde nodded "I think it's the serial killer case were working on at the moment"

"Oh that one with that awful name, The Toronto Slasher" Janine said scrunching up her face.

"We don't call them by the press names, it's disrespectful to the families" Gail explained.

"That's understandable" she agreed "what is it about this case that's getting to you?"

The blonde shrugged "I don't know"

"Okay" Janine said, knowing she did, but needed more time before revealing it "Is there anything else? How are things with Sophie?"

Holly came in with two mugs, placing them on the table as she went back to get her own she gave Gail's shoulder a squeeze of encouragement and left again "We're still waiting for word from the private detective, he has leads on her aunt so hopefully it won't be too much longer till we can move things forward" the blonde looked at her lap "will my..... Will it affect the adoption?"

"Your what?" The therapist asked with a frown.

"Her PTSD, will it be a problem?" Holly explained as she sat next to her lover. Gail picked up her hand and rested them on her thigh.

"I've always hesitated in diagnosing it as PTSD due to the fact that you've only really had the nightmares and have been coping fairly well, with the panic attack, the upturn in the amount of nightmares and flashbacks, and the few out of character moments you've had, I would now say that yes it is PTSD, hence the anti anxiety meds and the anti depressant. As long as you continue seeing me and remain stable there won't be any problems" 

"Is there anything I can do to help her?" Holly asked looking to her lover, who squeezed her hand.

"From my talk with Gail today and her response to you when she was in that panic state, I would say you are doing everything you can, just talk to her, remember that sometimes she needs a little more patience and encourage her to see me or even call me yourself" Janine explained, she took a mouthful of tea "So how did the panic attack happen?"

The couple looked at each other, Gail nodded at Holly indicating she wanted her to tell the story "Gail and her partner Officer McNally were following up leads, they were in the car and her partner mentioned...." The brunette hesitated "Pericks name and she said that Gail started hyperventilating and asked for me then spaced, when they got to the morgue I opened the door and she was breathing hard, sweating and completely spaced out, I talked to her, tried to reassure her then gave her a kiss and told her I loved her and it seemed to bring her around"

Janine nodded "the kiss probably grounded her, you did the right thing" she said reassuring Holly "Do you remember any of it?" She asked Gail.

The blonde shook her head "I sort of remember McNally saying his name and my chest tightening but after that there's nothing until Holly was there"

"Why do you think this has happened now?"

"Things have changed a lot" Gail said "I've moved in here, my mom knows I'm gay and is okay with it, I've been trying to be nicer to people" she smiled "and there's Sophie"

"These are good things, even good things can trigger stress, especially adoption, I assume you have talked about what you will do if it doesn't work out?" The therapist asked.

"We both want to have children, if Sophie is better being with another family, we were considering having a child of our own, even if Sophie is a part if our family, we will probably try to have a baby anyway" Holly explained with a smile, she looked at her girlfriend who was beaming at her. 

"That's good, you need to keep an open mind, adoption can be a messy minefield" Janine looked at Gail "Is there any other reason you can think that might have caused this to happen now?"

"The case" the blonde said "It's...." She sighed "When I see these women, when I talk to their families I keep imagining what would have happened to me if Jerry hadn't been there, would I have ended up just a name on a board, on the slab for Holly to dissect, then I start thinking about what if he gets me or Holly and....." She sobbed leaning into the brunettes side "I keep seeing myself in these women"

The brunette put and arm around her crying love, Janine got up and came around the table, sitting next to Gail "these are all normal thoughts Gail, you're human, if this wasn't getting to you I'd be more worried"

"Is she better to distance herself from the case or continue, try to get some closure by helping catch the killer" Holly asked.

"That's up to you" Janine said to Gail "What do you think?" 

The blonde didn't move from the brunettes side "I would like to try and stick with it, try and help catch him" she said sniffing and wiping the tears away.

"So stay with it" she got up and went back around to her side of the table, she started clearing her things up "I think we've covered enough for now, please don't hesitate to call me, either of you"

 

 

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After some final instructions, they saw Janine out and soon after sat down for dinner "How you feeling?" Holly asked then ate a fork full of pasta.

"Okay I guess, I'm hoping the meds help me get over the crazies"

"Gail" the brunettes sighed "You are not crazy"

The blonde smiled at her "This from the woman who kissed me at Frank's wedding and called me insane"

Holly blushed "Well.... You were asking silly questions"

Gail played with her food a little "You know, now that I think about it, I just should have grabbed you and made out with you then and there" she said with a smirk.

"You were too busy having a lesbian panic"

"Was not" the blonde said and ate more food.

"You so were" the brunette said "I only left because you looked so scared"

Gail raised an eyebrow "More like you were scared"

"So what were you looking up on the artificial insemination site?" Holly said changing the subject, letting her girlfriend know she was right about her being scared that night.

The blonde shrugged "Like I said to see what's involved"

"You ready for that much, the time off work, the pregnancy, the baby?" The doctor asked.

"Not quite, I wanna wait to hear about Sophie, maybe let things with us progress a little more and my PTSD settles down" she blushed a little.

"It's okay, Honey" Holly said realising she had been a bit abrupt "I'm not angry or would even be worried if you were, what I really want to know is if I need to have a talk with Matt, that's all" 

Gail frowned "What would Matt have to do with it?"

"Well" the brunette said "If we're going to have our own child, I'd like it to be as genetically as close to me as possible, if you're having the baby, I want Matt to provide the DNA and vice versa I guess, if I end up having the baby, I would want Steve to provide it so it would be as close to being your baby as possible"

"Talk about keeping it in the family" the blonde said with a smile, Holly pulled a 'be serious' face at her "Sounds like you've done some good thinking of your own"

"I have" the brunette said "Hence the not being freaked out by you looking into things"

 

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The next morning was an easier day than the one before, Gail had an early start and had left Holly in bed, after a brief 'Good morning' make out session of course.

The brunette had gotten ready for work and headed towards the morgue, she had not long been on the road when she saw the flashing lights up ahead. She was directed in to the area where the drivers were being breath tested for alcohol, she was shocked when she saw her girlfriends face appear at her door "How are you this morning Ma'am?" The blonde asked leaning on the car.

"Fine, aside from the fact my girlfriend left me all hot and bothered, this morning" Holly said happily playing along.

"That wasn't nice of her" Gail said, she was wearing a yellow vest and a cap, she leaned in the window "I'm sure she'll make it up to you" she gave her lover a quick kiss.

"Shouldn't you be on the serial case?" the brunette asked seriously.

She shrugged "Frank asked for volunteers for this, I figured a day away would hurt, plus we'll be done before lunch, I'll come see you, make up for leaving you all turned on this morning" she explained. The car behind them beeped their horn, Oliver gave her a signal to wrap it up "I've gotta go" she leaned in the car again, giving her another kiss "See you around 1?" She asked.

Holly grabbed her by her vest "I can't wait" she gave her a quick passionate kiss and let her go "I love you, be safe" she said.

"I love you too" Gail said not caring who heard.

 

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Holly was just finishing the last of the evidence from the last dump site, she was happy to be done with it for a while, the whole case was doing her girlfriends head in and she couldn't wait for it to be finished. She put the last box up into the storeroom and turned to see Oliver standing in the doorway, he was slightly pale and had blood on the front of his uniform, she shook her head at him "No" she whispered, her hand covering her mouth holding in the sob that wanted to escape.

"She's okay" he said softly.

"Then why isn't she here" Holly pointed out strongly, she held on to the shelf for support.

"She's alive and she's awake, she asked me to come get you, she didn't want to just call you" he said "You really need to come, I'll explain on the way"

The brunette didn't move "On the way where?" She asked, her voice wavering.

"To the hospital"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly was in the front seat of Oliver's cruiser, the older man glancing at her every so often, she was playing with the necklace the blonde had given her "what happened?" She asked.

"She pulled up a truck, turned out it was one of the suspects in that serial case, she recognised him and asked him to step out of the vehicle. He complied, she asked what he had in the back as she lifted the tarp and saw it was an unconscious woman tied up, she pulled her weapon and he freaked out, tackled her against the truck, she shot him in the shoulder, even though she hit her head pretty hard when she landed under the truck. He jumped in the vehicle and took off, running over her leg before she could get completely out of the way" He explained "he barely got 20 feet before we pulled him out and arrested him"

"So she's okay?" the brunette asked, she wouldn't feel better until she saw her with her own eyes.

"She has a nasty concussion, a couple of bruised ribs and a broken leg, aside from that, she was giving the nurses hell before I came to get you"

"Where did the blood come from?" She asked pointing to his front, sniffing tears back.

"She's got a pretty good gash on the back of her head from where she hit the step on the truck then the road" He reached out and grabbed the brunettes hand "Holly, she really is okay"

Holly nodded and looked out the window, she needed to see her to be sure "How was the woman she saved?"

"Alright, last I heard, her family are flying in, Traci and Sam were waiting for the bastard to be done in surgery to officially charge him"

"Was it James Allen?" She asked.

Oliver frowned at her "Yea how'd you know?"

"Gail had a hunch"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

The walked in the emergency room "I'm here to see Gail Peck" Holly said to the nurse.

"Please tell me you're Holly" the exasperated nurse said.

"Ummmm yea Holly Stewart"

"Good" she said "Follow me" she said.

The brunette glanced at Oliver and the others in the waiting room, the older man nodded indicating it was okay "How is she?" She asked as they walked.

"She has a grade 2 concussion, the doctor put 10 stitches in back of her head and she's got a break to both her tibia and fibula, the orthopaedic surgeon will be down to check it and to put the cast on shortly"

They walked to a door "She's in there" she said and left.

Holly opened the door, the blonde was snoozing, the brunette glanced back at the retreating nurse wondering what her problem had been. She walked over and picked up the blondes hand gently "Hey Lunchbox" Gail said groggily, as she opened her eyes and looked up at her.

"Hey" Holly said then leaned over and kissed her head "How are you feeling?" She looked the blonde over, she was on her left side, her right leg was out straight, wrapped up and resting on a pillow, her left one curled up and there was a sizeable gauze pad on the back of her head.

"Tired mostly, they gave me morphine for the pain so not really feeling much right now" Gail squeezed her hand "I'm sorry" she said, she tugged the brunettes hand and pulled her onto the chair next to the bed "I'm sorry, you probably totally freaked when Ollie turned up" she slurred out.

"A little" Holly admitted "I'm just glad your okay"

"Holly?" Gail asked.

"Yea honey?" The brunette said back as she started running her fingers through the blondes short hair.

Gail looked into her eyes "Marry me?"

 

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I know I suck, but I could have left where Oliver turned up to get Holly so I'm not that mean. I figured catching the killer this way was different, plus it has really happened before. I have about 2000 words of the next update done already so hopefully won't be too long before I update. Thanks again for reading, you can review if you still think I suck and let me know lol.

 

Bec oxox


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for all the awesome reviews I recieved. hope you enjoy this update. Also please let me know your opinion on the adopting Sophie side of the story, do I do it or not, I haven't made a firm decision and am interested to hear what you guys think, read and enjoy.

 

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disclaimer - I do not own anything but that characters I create and do not profit from this.

 

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Chapter Thirteen

 

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Gail watched Holly drive away from the traffic stop, she looked back at Oliver "You pulled her in on purpose" she stated.

"I wouldn't do that Darlin" he said, winked at her and directed another driver her way.

The blonde rolled her eyes and continued her job, it was about half an hour later when a pick up truck was sent her way, she looked down at the clip board as she noted his registration number "Have you had anything to drink sir?" She asked without looking up.

"No not today" he said.

Something about his voice when he answered made Gail look up, she recognised him from the picture hanging on the board in the parade room "Can I see your licence please?" She asked calmly.

He sighed and pulled his wallet out "I'm actually late for something" he said as he handed it over.

One look instantly confirmed what she already knew, this was James Allen "Can you turn off the ignition and step out of the vehicle please?" The blonde asked

"If it makes this go faster" he said turning off the truck and getting out.

"Both hands on the front" she said pointing at the car, he complied. She put the clipboard on the hood of the truck to free up her hands and moved to the tray "What are you carrying?" She lifted the tarp and saw a blonde unconscious woman bound and gagged, she pulled her weapon and grabbed her radio, as she was about to speak he slammed into her, pushing her down, her head hitting the step of the truck and then the ground, she was dazed, he tried to kick her, she scooted under the truck to get away, she still had her gun, she couldn't breathe and couldn't speak but leaned out from under the truck, raised her weapon and squeezed off a shot in his direction, she didn't know if it hit him but saw him disappear, she heard shouting through the fog in her brain and the truck roared to life. Realising he was going to run over her she scrabbled trying to get out as he drove, she didn't get right of the way and the wheel ran over the bottom of her right leg, she let out a blood curdling scream as Oliver slid over to her on his knees.

"Gail" he said.

"Get him" Gail wheezed out, her lungs recovering from the impact of the tackle "there's a girl in the back, it's the killer" she got out then let her body drop back trusting him to take care of it.

He caught her, moving around so she was rested against him "It's okay kid" he said looking up.

Dov and Chloe had their guns pointed at his head as Nick forced him to the ground "They got him, we gotta look after you now" he grabbed his radio "Dispatch this is 15-04 at the alcohol stop on James St, we have an officer down possible concussion and broken leg" he looked over to the truck "also possible unconscious abduction victim, need EMTs onsite ASAP"

"Received 15-04 EMTs on their way" the dispatcher answered.

He quickly pulled his phone out, he called Traci, telling her to get Sam and Steve and get down there as soon as possible. 

Gail was groaning in pain "Holly" she mumbled.

"I'll call her" he said going to her pocket.

"No" she tried to move and she yelled out in pain "Fuck" she said and stopped "Don't call, you'll freak her out, go pick her up"

"I'll get...." He said going to call someone over.

"No" she said grabbing his vest "You, go and get her" she demanded "No one else, you"

"Alright Darlin, I'll do it once you're taken care off" he realised as she rested her head back against him there was blood dripping from the back of her head, he waved an officer over asking for a first aid kit, once he had it he put gauze against the cut he found.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

Within an hour Gail was in the hospital, Steve had dropped in offering to pick up Holly, the blonde informed him Oliver was on it. She yelled at anyone who tried to touch her leg, with great difficulty, they eventually cut her uniform pants off to see the leg was black and blue already, she was quickly sent for X-rays and scans to check for internal bleeding and much to all the nurses relief was given pain killers and her head was stitched when she returned "Where's Holly?" She asked the nurse who came to check on her.

"Is Holly a police officer?" She asked as she checked the blondes drip.

"No moron, she's a doctor, where.... is.... she?" Gail asked again slower since this woman didn't seem to understand a simple request.

The nurse frowned at her "Holly the doctor, okay, does she work here?" 

The blonde sighed getting agitated "No, she's a dead person doctor"

Just then Traci came in saving the poor woman "Who is Holly?" She asked the detective as soon as she appeared.

Traci smiled "Her girlfriend, she's a forensic pathologist, she works for the city" she explained.

"See" Gail said sarcastically "not that freaking hard to understand"

The nurse huffed at her, signed her chart and left.

The detective moved to her bedside "Oliver should be just about back with Holly" she said. She glanced at the door "You really shouldn't piss off the people who have the pain medication"

Gail shrugged and rested her head against the pillow "I need her Trace, when I was laying under the truck all I could think was if I see her again I'm gonna ask her to marry me, make sure I won't lose her again"

"That's the morphine talking" Traci pointed out.

"No that's me talking, I don't wanna wait anymore, she's my everything, I want to make sure everyone knows it, especially her" the blondes eyes were shut. Her voice was turning to mumbles.

The detective patted her hand "Sleep off the concussion and the drugs then think about it"

"Hmmmmm" Gail hummed as she fell asleep.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

Holly and Oliver walked in the emergency room "I'm here to see Gail Peck" The brunette said to the nurse.

"Please tell me you're Holly" the exasperated nurse said.

"Ummmm yea Holly Stewart"

"Good" she said "Follow me" she said.

The brunette glanced at Oliver and the others in the waiting room, the older man nodded indicating it was okay "How is she?" She asked as they walked.

"She has a grade 2 concussion, the doctor put 10 stitches in back of her head and she's got a break to both her tibia and fibula, the orthopaedic surgeon will be down to check it and to put the cast on shortly"

They walked to a door "She's in there" she said and left.

Holly opened the door, the blonde was snoozing, the brunette glanced back at the retreating nurse wondering what her problem had been. She walked over and picked up the blondes hand gently "Hey Lunchbox" Gail said groggily, as she opened her eyes and looked up at her.

"Hey" Holly said then leaned over and kissed her head "How are you feeling?" She looked the blonde over, she was on her left side, her right leg was out straight, wrapped up and resting on a pillow, her left one curled up and there was a sizeable gauze pad on the back of her head.

"Tired mostly, they gave me morphine for the pain so not really feeling much right now" Gail squeezed her hand "I'm sorry" she said, she tugged the brunettes hand and pulled her onto the chair next to the bed "I'm sorry, you probably totally freaked when Ollie turned up" she slurred out.

"A little" Holly admitted "I'm just glad your okay"

"Holly?" Gail asked.

"Yea honey?" The brunette said back as she started running her fingers through the blondes short hair.

Gail looked into her eyes "Marry me?"

Holly froze unsure she heard her correctly "What?"

"Marry me?" The blonde asked again looking in her eyes, making sure she knew she was serious.

The brunette opened her mouth to speak when, at that moment, Elaine and Bill Peck came in the room, the woman talking loudly already.

"Are you alright?" The blondes mother said at her beside "I'm so proud of you both" she said "the lab has sent over the DNA sample you pulled, their comparing it now, if it matches it means that 15 division and you caught one of the most prolific serial killers in our countries history" 

"Elaine" Holly said sternly, finally finding her voice.

"Holly?" The older woman looked over to the seated brunette.

"Get out" she said "I don't mean any offence but we were kind of in the middle of something that can't wait, so get out" Holly looked down at Gail and back to her mother "please"

Elaine looked down at her daughter as well, giving her a look that said 'fix it'. She smiled at Holly, knowing the poor woman had to be complete mess, as she had been in her position many times, between her husband, son and daughter, so she could understand and excused her abruptness "We'll check in with the doctor" she said and they both quietly left.

Once they were gone, the brunette turned to her hurt girlfriend "Really Gail?" She ran her hands through her hair, pulling her glasses off, dropping them on the table next to her "You get run over by a serial killer, give me a complete heart attack thinking you were dead when Oliver showed up covered in your blood and you think right now, while we're waiting for an Ortho consult to see if you need surgery on your broken leg, that this is a great time to propose to me" She was pacing "Fuck, I hate your job sometimes, I hate that I worry every single second when you walk out the door till you walk back in. And today, I found out exactly what it feels like to think you were dead and I hated it" she slammed her hands on the wall leaning her head against it, she sniffed pushing back tears "I....." She said to the wall.

Gail watched her, she wanted to get up and comfort her but she was stuck on her side, thanks to her head, until they decided what to do with her leg "Baby" she said softly.

"Don't you baby me" the brunette said with her head still on the wall "Why.... Why do you have to be so...... you?" She asked and looked over at the blonde, who upon looking at her, smiled "I know your drugged up and I've heard the Oxy stories but why are you grinning like an idiot while I'm telling you off" Holly said turning and leaning on the wall.

"Because I just realised you didn't say no" the blonde pointed out.

"I didn't say yes either" the brunette countered, folding her arms.

"Yea, but I can work with that" Gail said holding out her hand, beckoning her over.

Holly pushed off the wall and sat next to her "Your timing sucks Hun" the brunette said taking her hand and kissing it.

"I know" the blonde said "And I know you think it's the pain meds or the concussion but it's not, I do wanna marry you" she laced her fingers with her girlfriends "I... In that moment under the truck all I could think about was you and the life we could have and I just knew, when I saw you again I had to ask, I've already moved in and asked you to have kids with me so I'm kinda doing this all ass backwards but hey I was never normal..." Gail sighed "First, I promise you once I'm allowed out of this place I will do this properly" she looked up at her "Holly Stewart, Will you marry me?" A smile broke out on the brunettes face, she leaned down and kissed the blonde on the bed, she fought the urge to put her hand behind her head, not wantIng to touch the stitches, Gail broke the kiss "So is that a yes?" She asked softly.

"Of course it is" she gave her another kiss.

There was a knock on the door, it was Steve "Is it safe?" He said sticking his head in.

Holly broke the kiss and looked at him "It's fine" she said, she sat back on the chair next to her now fiancé, holding her hand, the blonde linked their fingers.

"The surgeon is here" he said "Mom said not to to disturb you but when the yelling stopped I figured it was safe"

"I didn't yell" the brunette said blushing.

The doctor walked in behind Steve "I'm Dr Gordon, the attending orthopaedic surgeon" he said walking to the light boxes in the room, Sam, Traci, Elaine and Bill, slipped in behind Steve "You're very lucky, most people who have a leg run over end up having reconstructive surgery, as you can see" he said pointing to the X-ray, you have clean breaks of both bones, it is slightly displaced meaning we will have to put you under and manipulate them back into place before we put a cast on but we shouldn't need to open you up" he said and pulled the X-rays down "the scans didn't show any vessel damage or compartment syndrome so as long as your stable tomorrow and since you live with a doctor I can't see why we won't be able to send you home in the afternoon"

"Thank you" Holly said.

"My pleasure, I'll set up the theatre and come down for her, probably in an hour" he said and left.

The brunette kissed her hand again, Gail gave her a smile, she could see the blonde was heavily under the effects of the meds "I love you" she said softly, slurring slightly.

"You need to sleep" the brunette said, putting her other hand on the blondes cheek.

"I need to look at you" Gail said "I'll sleep while they fix my leg"

Steve cleared his throat, Holly looked up at him but his sister just looked lovingly at the brunette.

Sam stepped forward and spoke "James Allen has been formally charged with assaulting and attempted murder of a police officer, he's been charged with the kidnapping of the girl, we're just waiting for the results on the DNA from the last dumpsite to come through, when it's positive he'll be charged with those murders too" he smiled "Congratulations you two, without you both it never would have happened"

Holly looked at Gail, she'd dozed off during the detectives explanation.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

Holly swirled the terrible coffee around in the cup, when they had taken Gail up for surgery, she had headed out to the waiting room to give the rookies the news, most of them had headed home. Andy Sam, Traci and Steve waited, Elaine and Bill left, promising to come back in a few hours. She went to get up to go to try and find out something when she noticed her brother walking in "Matt?" She asked confused.

"Mom called, I'm the closest between the two of us, is she okay?" He asked hugging her.

"How did you get here so fast?" She asked into his shoulder.

"I broke a few traffic laws" He said and pulled back "is she okay?"

Holly nodded "Concussion and a broken leg, she's having it put back in place and a cast put on" the brunette looked at the clock "It shouldn't be much longer"

"Can I do anything?" He offered.

"A decent coffee would be good" she asked.

"Consider it done" he said, kissing her head and heading back out.

Holly had just sat down when Dov came back, with someone else in tow "Chris?" Andy said standing.

"Hey" he said with a tight smile.

Traci went over and hugged him, joined by Andy "It's good to see you" the detective said "You home for good?" She asked.

"Yea, I finished up yesterday, just had a quiet night at home last night, was going to come to 15 this afternoon and talk to Sergeant Best but....." He trailed off and looked at Holly who hadn't spoken, he sat next to her "How are you holding up?" He asked.

She looked at him, he was looking a lot better, she could see he was clean "I'm okay for now" she said.

"Holly, you know you're one of us now, we know how hard this shit is, we're here for you" he said.

"That's therapy talk" the brunette said with a smile.

Chris smiled back "Therapy can be good" he said.

"How was the centre?" She asked him.

"I never thought I'd say this but really good, I worked a lot of shit out and dealt with things I should have dealt with a long time ago" he said.

A voice came from behind the rookies "that sounds distinctly like someone working the program" Matt said. They moved aside and he sat on Holly's other side and handed her the coffee.

"This is Matthew Stewart, my brother" the brunette said "this is Andy, Dov, Traci and Chris. They were all rookies with Gail" she explained.

"So, Chris" he said "am I right are you just out of rehab?" Everyone else looked shock at, the strangers forwardness. Chris frowned "Clean for 4 years" he said.

"Yea I am" The other man said "so do you still have a sponsor?" He asked.

Holly stood up from between the men and moved away, she was glad that Chris was home and that Matt might help him stay on the wagon but she was more worried about her love that was upstairs in surgery.

"Hey" Traci said "She'll be okay"

"She asked me to marry her when I got here" the brunette said looking out the window.

"She said she was going to" the detective told her "She told me you were everything and she wanted you and everyone else to know" she added smiling.

"Really?" Holly said looking at her, brushing a tear that escaped away.

"Yea, So that's why you were yelling, I guess you didn't have the best reaction then?"

The brunette smiled and blushed "How would you react if Steve was hurt on the job, Oliver turns up covered in his blood and drags you to the hospital then you get here and he's concussed and high as a kite and asks you to marry him"

"Well when you put it that way" Traci said "what was your answer?" She asked.

Holly grinned "Yes of course, but don't say anything until Gail tells you"

The detective crossed her heart "You have my word"

"Holly" the surgeon called from the doors, the brunette walked over "She's fine, it went to plan, the bones are straight and should knit together normally, I've put a cast on for now, in about 3 weeks when the bones have started to heal, we might fit her with a walking cast or a brace depending on the healing, until then she's on crutches, no weight on it at all, I would suggest a wheelchair for the few days just because of her concussion" he said, he handed her a card "Any questions give me a call, I'll send an intern down once she's in a room"

"Thanks" she said and he left.

She turned to the waiting group.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

Holly walked into Gail's room quietly, everyone but Matt had gone home, he, with Chris and Dov's help was getting the couples cars back to the house, as the brunettes had been left at work and the blondes was at 15. She sat at her bed side, picking up her hand, she'd just settled back into the chair when the blonde stirred "Holly?" She asked groggily 

"I'm here" She said sitting back up "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone ran over me" Gail mumbled.

"I see the blow to your head didn't knock out your sense of humour" Holly said "My mom called Matt, he's back to make sure your okay"

"Good" the blonde said "It means someone will be with you tonight"

"I'm not going home" the brunette informed her.

"Baby I'm a bad enough patient here, when I'm home I'll be worse, get the rest while you can" Gail said.

"I just had you home with the flu for a week, I think I can handle it"

"I still think you should go get some sleep soon" she said "that chair isn't as comfortable as your bed"

"Our bed" Holly said kissing her hand "So how's the future Mrs Stewart really feeling?'

"She's pretty drugged up" Gail said back closing her eyes.

"No comment on the Mrs Stewart thing?" She asked.

"I was thinking more along the lines of Stewart-Peck but I'm open to suggestions" the blonde gave her a lazy smile, suddenly it disappeared "Sophie" she said opening her eyes, Holly frowned not understanding "Dinner tomorrow night" she reminded her.

"It's okay" the brunette said "she can come to the house and meet Matt and if you don't get released tomorrow we can reschedule it to later in the week" 

"Okay" Gail said and closed her eyes again.

"Chris is back" Holly said.

Gail opened one eye "Your point being?"

"He came to see how you were, I would say he'll visit tomorrow, just giving you a heads up"

"Okay" the blonde said then looked at her lover "I'm sorry I don't mean to be angry, it's not your fault"

"It's okay, I get it, between your concussion and your anger towards him I understand" Holly said "Just relax and rest Honey, I'm not leaving, not yet anyway"

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

Not long after Matt returned, Gail woke up again, insisting that Holly head home to get some sleep, she'd spent most of the day at the hospital and only had coffee. The blonde told her to go home eat and sleep, she had her phone, if Gail needed her, she promised she would text or call. And if the brunette wanted her to do the same. After grabbing some food on the way home, Matt and Holly arrived home around 10, she excused herself and went upstairs to take a quick shower before eating. The brunette walked in the bedroom, Gail's clothes as usual were dropped over various pieces of furniture, for someone who hated germs, the blonde wasn't very tidy. Holly grabbed the clothes she knew were dirty and threw them in the hamper. She had a quick shower, when she came out she grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt to sleep in, she looked over at her hoodie, hanging on a chair. It was the one she'd worn the first time she took her then friend to the batting cages, the blonde had claimed it the weekend she officially moved in. She picked it up and put it on, it smelled of Gail's soap and the scent that was uniquely her. She sat on the bed and sighed, she knew she had come close to losing her love today, had the man had a weapon, or she not moved fast enough from under the truck things could have been much worse. She tucked the hood over her head, losing herself in Gail's scent and slid onto the floor. Finally letting go of the tears that had been threatening to fall since she'd turned around to see Oliver all those hours ago.

That was where Matt found her a little while later, crying quietly, thanking God that the blonde was still alive. He didn't speak just sat down next to her, pulled her into his side and let her cry it out.

After a while, she spoke "She asked me to marry her when I got to the hospital today" She said croaked softly.

Matt tugged the hood off, kissed his sister on the head "Really?" He asked slightly shocked, he leaned over and grabbed the tissue box so she could clean herself up, which she did.

"Yes really" Holly said once she was done "I told her off"

He laughed "and then said yes right?"

The brunette laid her head back against he brothers shoulder "Of course I did" she said.

"Very cool" he said "So my sisters marrying a cop, how do you feel about it?"

Holly put her hands in the pockets on the hoodie and sniffed "I feel great about marrying Gail, I love her, she's..... Well she's everything" She sighed "The fact that she's a police officer, that's a little different but it's who she is and she loves it so its something I'm learning to deal with"

"Mom said you met at work" he said.

"At a crime scene, yea" the brunette smiled "she told me I wasn't allowed in"

Matt smiled "Bet that went well"

"I told her who I was and that she wasn't up to date on her medical jurisprudence" Holly told him "We snarked at each other, then she came to the lab with the body, well bones, and spent the day asking questions, suddenly, we were friends then after a while we became more"

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

"I'm not taking that damn thing home" Gail said, she had been checked over and discharged, the doctor had said she was to use the wheel chair at least until the weekend before switching to crutches.

"it's because of the concussion" Holly explained "it's only until Saturday"

The blonde looked down at the blanket "I don't wanna scare her" she said softly.

"She understands, I talked to her this morning. She knows you broke your leg chasing a bad guy and now he's in jail" The brunette said "and anyway I'm surprised you aren't zooming around the halls already"

Gail raised an eyebrow "I'm not a delinquent"

"The bruises you have from wrestling with you brother every second day say otherwise" Holly pointed out. 

The door suddenly burst open, Steve was in the wheelchair with Leo in his lap "We heading out?" He asked rocking it back so the front wheels were off the ground.

"When you remove that your ass from my chair so I can yes" Gail said moving to the edge of the bed. Steve winked at Holly and got up, putting Leo on his feet, they both knew if her brother had played with the chair she would have to take it from him and in turn use it. The brunette put the leg rest up, the cast on Gail's leg went to above her knee meaning it wouldn't bend. Steve picked up his sister and put her in the chair, being careful with her leg and ribs.

"Come on" he said "Let's blow this place" the detective pushed the chair out of he room full speed, Leo running after him, Gail yelling for him to slow down.

"Kids" Holly said picking up their things and following.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

Gail was alone, once they got her home, Steve carried the chair then his sister inside and left to take Leo back to Traci and Matt had disappeared to talk to a lawyer about his new investment. Holly on the other hand had not wanted or had intended to leave but had a call come from 15 about some evidence to do with the case against James Allen, the DNA had matched and he had been formally charged with all 14 murders they knew about, Sam had wanted to clarify some things and because she had processed these pieces of evidence only Holly could take care of it, she wanted to take the Gail with her but the tired, sore blonde refused and almost pushed her out the door telling her she would be alright for an hour and she would call if she had any issues.

She had wheeled herself to the kitchen, gotten a soda, some cheese puffs from her stash in the bottom cupboard and headed to the PlayStation. She had just loaded a game when the door bell rang, she knew her now fiancé locked the door so she put the control in her lap and headed over to open it, she unlocked the door "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Wanted to see how you are?" Chris said pushing his hands into the pockets on his jeans.

Gail turned the chair and moved towards the sitting room, leaving him at the open door. When she realised he didn't follow she spoke without stopping "Well are you coming in or just letting the bugs have a free pass" He closed the door and followed, she tossed a controller to him "So..." She said starting the game, he sat on the couch "Did she call you?"

"I ran into her at 15, she mentioned you were here alone and heavily suggested I should come over till she got back" Chris explained.

"When do you start work?"

"Monday, thanks to Oliver I'm getting a shot. Desk duty for two months and I have to ride with a TO for six months after that"

"You gonna be okay with that?" She asked knowing how he loved the job.

"I'm just glad they're letting me come back, I almost screwed everything" he paused the game and turned to her "I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for selling your...."

"Stop" the blonde said, she dropped the controller in her lap and turned the chair "I hate that feel good crap they make you say, you are sorry I get it, you got too deep in something and it almost crushed you trust me, I get it" she looked into her lap. Part of her wanted to open up to him, they'd been friends for years, even after they broke up but she just wasn't ready. She picked up the controller

"Gail?" He asked.

She leaned over and unpaused the game on his control, she killed his character "play the damn game Diaz" she said with a smirk.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

"Hey, hop along, you here?" Matt called out as he opened the front door.

"Hop along?" Gail called out "come on Stewart, you can to better than that"

He smiled at grabbed a beer from the fridge "Okay then" he said as he opened the bottle and threw the cap in the trash "How about speed bump?" He asked as he walked in the room.

"Speed bump, now that's better, I wouldn't say it in front of your sister though" Gail said " Hey that's mine" she said grabbing at the beer as he walked past.

"Nope" he said pulling it away "not with pain killers and a concussion"

"Hey" he said to Chris "How's real life hitting you?"

"Been okay so far, haven't been out much though so we'll see" he answered.

"Okay" Gail said "enough narcotics anonymous, grab a control" she told Matt.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

When Holly got back around an hour later, she'd stopped to get a few things since she knew Chris was with the blonde, she came back to the two men, quietly arguing about the game and no sign of her fiancé, the wheelchair sitting empty near the couch "Where's Gail?" She asked as she put the bags on the bench.

"I carried her up stairs" Matt explained "She was falling asleep in the chair"

"What if she needs to use the bathroom?" The brunette asked.

"She said she'd text us" Chris said, he looked at his watch "I'd better go" he stood "thanks" he said to the younger Stewart "it's good to have someone around who gets it" 

He grabbed his coat and left "Are you his sponsor now?" Holly asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"No, just someone who'll listen, I'm not around permanently just yet so I can't" Matt explained "I will probably be back in about two weeks for good though, my soon to be ex boss started interviewing the day I told him I was going so I'm pretty much free to go as soon as I can organise my stuff"

"When are you going back?" The brunette asked sitting next to him.

"Well, I've got till Saturday afternoon, so I figured I'd stay and help you till then, she'll be on crutches by then and be able to tackle the stairs"

Holly sighed "this is the first time I've wished this place was one storey" her phone beeped she tugged it from her pocket, it was Gail 'I can hear your beautiful voice, wanna come up?' The brunette smiled and stood "thanks for staying" she said "I don't think I'm gonna be able to be home much in the next two days, catching this asshole means we need to make sure every T is crossed and every i dotted" She moved towards the stairs.

"Well since I'm getting to meet Sophie tonight, I'm gonna go get some stuff to make us dinner" Matt said standing, also wanting to give to couple some alone time.

"Catch" Holly said, throwing him the keys to the SUV "I parked you in"

He nodded and left.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

 

"Hey" Holly said as she walked into the bedroom.

Gail was sitting up resting against pillows, her plastered leg up on another one and her head still had a wad of gauze on it, she was looking at her iPad "Hey baby" she said looking up with a smile.

"Someone's taken her pain pills" the brunette commented as she sat in the edge of the bed "anything interesting?" She asked, pointing to the iPad.

"Not really" the blonde said "I was actually just reading the press release from what happened yesterday" she showed Holly "we haven't been mentioned yet, once everything's done and the trial starts they'll name us"

"I know" the brunette said, she was okay with it.

"You're not worried?" Gail asked, putting the electronic device down, she went to lay further back, she sucked in a breath when her head touched the pillow.

"Not really, it happens, do you want me to put a smaller dressing on your head?" She asked, she wanted to check the wound and to see for herself it was okay.

"Please, this thing is driving me insane" she thought for a second "I would also like you to tell me how much hair I've lost, Traci refused"

Holly grinned at her "I'll be back, do you want anything from downstairs?"

The blonde shook her head "only you" she gave her a drunk smile.

The brunette trotted downstairs surprised that her brother was at the leaning on the wall near the stairs "I was just about to come up and ask if there's anything Gail doesn't like"

Holly went over to the other downstairs room, it was her office, it had some of Gail's boxes they hadn't finished unpacking, Matt trailing behind "She hates eggs and is allergic tomatoes"

He leaned on the doorway "I can work with that" he said "you planning on playing doctor?" He joked.

"Ha Ha" the sarcasm dripping fro her tone "the dressing on her head needs changing, plus that step she hit was pretty dirty as was the road, I wanna check it for infection"

"Hey" he said "You okay?" 

She shrugged "I'm just..... worried" she finished not really wanting to give him the whole explanation, that she was worried but was also scared out of her mind about losing her fiancé.

"She's a bit broken but she's alright Hol" he said "she'll be okay"

"I know" she picked up the med kit she had in the house just in case.

Sensing she wasn't willing to talk Matt pushed off the doorway "I won't be too long, call me if you need anything" he said and left.

Holly headed back upstairs, Gail was sitting on the side of the bed when she arrived "I need to pee" she said with a blush "Can you help?" She asked looking at the floor.

The brunette smiled, she moved to the closet and pulled out the set of crutches the blonde wasn't allowed to use till Saturday "Just to get to the bathroom while your up here" she helped her to her feet and after a few wobbly steps she managed to get to the bathroom without falling or putting weight on her leg.

 

 

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About ten minutes later, Gail was sitting on the bed, her head tipped forward. Holly was standing over her. Checking the back of her head, she very gently pulled the gauze off "Owww" the blonde whined "How bad is it?"

"It's not too bad, they trimmed the hair around the cut, it'll be back to normal in a few weeks" the brunette said as she got a few things out.

"Thank you" Gail said with a soft smile "but I meant the cut" She added.

"Oh" Holly said with a slight blush "it's clean, the stitches are small so you should get much of a scar, it's about 3 inches long" she cleaned along the cut and the blonde hissed in pain "I know it hurts, it's just best to keep it clean"

"Hol?" Gail asked.

"Yea?" She asked, distracted.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked.

The brunette froze for a second then continued "Not really"

"So you are?" The blonde asked again.

Holly sighed, she put the cleaning things down and took the gloves off, she sat on the end of the bed near Gail's plaster covered leg "I'm scared" she admitted.

"I'm fine" the blonde said "come here" she asked, wishing she could move to her fiancé.

The brunette shook her head "I know your job is dangerous, I know that....." She sighed again "I work with police everyday, I see what happens when...." She knew she didn't need to finish the sentence "I'm not sure I could survive it Gail" 

"Holly, what are you saying?" The blonde said, internally panicked that the woman she had asked to marry her was about to leave her.

Hearing her tone, the brunette looked up at her, seeing the distraught, hurt woman with tears her eyes, she was suddenly at her side kneeling on the floor "Not that, I would never do that" she put her hand on the back of her neck and pulled her into a reassuring kiss, after a few seconds, she pulled back and rested her head on Gail's "You goof, I'd never leave you because your a police officer, I just want you to understand how absolutely devastated I would be if you didn't come home one day, you have to make me a promise" she said, both her hands went to the blondes cheek.

"Anything" the blonde said her hands on Holly's shoulders, her body was turned facing her love, her slightly bruised ribs were complaining but all that mattered was the woman in front of her.

"For me, for the children we are gonna have, you promise me you'll do everything you possibly can to come in that fucking door every night, No more big stupid uncalled for risks"

Gail moved her hands into Holly's hair "I promise" she kissed her "I swear I will" she murmured into her lips. 

The blonde tried to pull her onto the bed but the brunette pulled back "As much as I want to do what you have in mind, you were run over yesterday, you have no dressing on your stitches and Trisha is due to drop off Sophie in an hour" she gave her one last kiss and stood.

Gail grabbed her hand "Are we okay?"

Holly brushed her fingers on the blondes cheek "We're better than okay, I agreed to marry you remember"

 

 

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Matt was midway through cooking their dinner when the doorbell rang, he had carried Gail downstairs when he'd gotten back from the shops then set to work cooking a 3 course meal for the four of them "Hol, door" he called to his sister who was busy doing work on he dinning table, he knew what she was like when she was in work stuff, a bomb could go off and she wouldn't notice.

Gail wheeled herself into the room "I'm the only thing she'll pay attention to when she's like that, watch" he followed her into the dinning room "Say her name" She mouthed

"Holly" he said rather loudly, she didn't flinch, just continued to make notes on the file in front of her.

"Baby" the blonde said so softly, Matt could barely hear her.

Holly's head instantly popped up "Everything okay?" She asked, wondering why the pair were giggling.

"The..." The doorbell rang again before Gail could say.

"Oh" the brunette said realising "I'll get it" she kissed the blondes head and went out of the room.

"That was amazing" Matt said softly "when did you realise?"

"I went and saw her at the lab one day and an intern was trying to get her attention, I watched for a bit then said her name and she looked straight up"

"Cool" he said and went back to the kitchen as she rolled to the sitting room.

"Gail?" Sophie asked, she was standing in the doorway between the foyer and the sitting room, she looked worried.

"It's okay" she said to the girl and held out her hand. She didn't move, just stood there looking from the blondes leg to her face "Come over here, it's okay" Gail said trying to reassure her.

Sophie slowly worked over "Holly said you got hurt catching a bad man" she said, she was holding a gift bag in front of her "Was he very bad?"

"The worst" the blonde said "He's locked away now, he can't hurt anyone anymore"

"He hurt you" the girl said going to rest her hand on the cast on her leg, she pulled it back before it touched.

Gail reached out and took her hand resting it on the cast "I want you to do something for me" she asked, she reached beside her and pulled out some markers "I want you to draw some pictures on my foot, I need something pretty to look at plus you know I love your drawings"

Sophie smiled "can I really?" She asked. The blonde nodded "this is for you" she said and handed Gail the gift bag as she took the markers, they moved around so the girl could sit on the couch while she drew.

The blonde looked inside the bag, there was a teddy bear with bandages and a homemade get well card, the gift almost bought tears to her eyes, she thanked Sophie then watched her start drawing on her cast.

"How is she really?" Trisha asked as they watched the pair from the kitchen.

"She'll be okay, she was really lucky" Holly said.

"How are you?"

"Like anyone in my situation would be, I'll be fine though" she looked at the woman and smiled.

"Okay" Trisha said "I'll leave you to it" she picked up her bag "8.30 alright with you?"

"That's great" the brunette said "thanks for bringing her over"

"Anytime" she said

Holly saw her out then returned to the kitchen "She seems nice" Matt commented from the stove.

"Come meet her" the brunette said grabbing his and dragging him into the other room.

"Munchkin?" Holly said, the girl looked up "I want you to meet my brother Matt"

Sophie stood up and walked over, Matt squatted down, the girl eyed him for a second then looked up at the brunette "He's a boy you" she said.

Gail cracked up laughing "See I told you"

 

 

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After dinner they were sitting on the couch, well Holly and Matt were, Sophie was draped over them and Gail was on the other couch laying with her leg raised on pillows, she'd insisted her future brother in law move the couch over so she could hold Holly's hand. They were watching Finding Nemo "I get it" Matt whispered to his sister.

She smiled without looking at him "I had the same reaction when I met her" she whispered back.

"Moms gonna love her" he said "Jill's gonna freak, marriage and this"

"I know" Holly said grinning.

"Shhhh" Sophie said looking up at them from Matt's lap "I can't hear with you talking" she added then turned back to the movie.

The siblings shared a giggle which earned them another dirty look, this time from Gail, then settled back into the movie.

 

 

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After the movie was done and Sophie was picked up, Matt carried Gail back upstairs and retired to bed himself, the last 24 hours had been exhausting for everyone.

Holly locked up downstairs then headed to their room, she found the blonde sitting on the edge of the bed "I feel gross" she said to the brunette as she closed the door.

"As in...." Holly asked looking a little worried

"As is dirty not sick" she clarified.

"You want me to run a bath?" She asked.

"Can we manage it without me getting this thing wet?" She said tapping on the newly decorated cast.

"Well it's either a bath or...."

"A sponge bath?" Gail asked with a big grin.

 

 

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	14. Chapter Fourteen

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Thanks for all the awesome feedback it's always appreciated. I have made a decision on the Sophie side of things, but you won't find out till the next chapter what that may be. Hope you all enjoy the update. And as usual updates keep the muse happy. Read and review and I'll post more as soon as I can.

 

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Disclaimer - I don't own anything but the characters I create (if I did Holly would be a main cast member and Rookie Blue would continue for sure) I do not profit from this.

 

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Chapter Fourteen

 

 

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Gail woke to her cell phone ringing, it hadn't been an easy night, she'd been in pain and every time she slept with the pain killers, she had a nightmare. Holly had gotten up earlier and organised someone to take over for the rest of the week, if 15 called about the James Allen case she would have to go, otherwise she was home for now. She'd gone back to bed and curled up with her lover.

"What?" The blonde snapped into the phone, after sitting up at grab it.

"Well I guess that answers the question on how your doing" Steve said.

"Sorry" she muttered and laid back down on her back, Holly curling back into her side "bad night" she said and closed her eyes.

"Yea well your day probably won't be great either, SIU is here, they want to talk to you about Tuesday, I wouldn't worry though, this is all so the defence won't be able to call any police action into question" he explained.

Gail sighed "How long have I got?" She asked still laying down.

"Probably an hour, they're talking to Oliver at the moment, then I think Collins before you" he said "I told Frank I'd call so you didn't snap at him" She could hear the smile on her brother's voice "Oh and Traci and Sam need Holly again so you'd better get her to bring you"

"Okay" the blonde said with a yawn "I'll see you soon" she said and ended the call.

"What's up?" The brunette asked sleepily.

"We need to go to 15, SIU wants to talk to me and your needed on the Allen case"

Holly rolled her eyes and buried her head into Gail's shoulder "I know they're your friends but can't they learn to read a fucking report properly, I spent most of my time there yesterday explain basic things"

The blonde kissed her head "At least you've taught me to read and understand it better"

The brunette pulled away and sat up, she turned and crossed her legs facing the blonde, her fingers touched the cast, which was out of the blankets elevated on a pillow "How are feeling?"

"Tired, it's hurting" she said, she picked up Holly's hand from her cast and kissed it.

"You can take the Oxy you know" she told her.

"Not before I talk to SIU" the blonde said leaning up on her elbows "I can't take anything, I don't wanna compromise the case I'll be okay till we get back" The brunette pursed her lips, trying not to enter her opinion on going without any pain meds "What?" Gail asked.

"Last night, you were crying in pain when the meds wore off, I just think going out today without taking anything is no where near a good idea" Holly already knows what her fiancé will say, she didn't want to give her opinion for that reason.

Gail flushed red "You think I can't handle it?" She said the anger evident.

"Hun..." The doctor said.

The blonde cut her off "No Hol, tell me that I'm weak go on" she snapped and manoeuvred to the edge of the bed, she grabbed the crutches, in her haste one fell too far away for her to get "FUCK" she yelled and threw the other one across the room, it landed near the bathroom door.

Holly sighed and waited, she knew the blonde well enough to wait till she asked for help otherwise she would just continue to cop the brunt of her frustration. The brunette got up and started getting hers and Gail's clothes out for the day, the blonde sat there her head down. She even went to the bathroom, picking up the crutch and resting it against the wall on her way in. When she came back out, she walked over to Gail, who was still in the same position "I'm gonna make us some coffee" she said and kissed her on the head.

As she went to go, the blonde grabbed her hand "I'm sorry" she said so softly, Holly barely heard it "I didn't mean to yell or throw things....." She sighed, the brunette was still standing away from her, Gail looked up "Can you...." She tugged her hand.

Holly came over and squatted down in front of her "You done?" She asked.

"Yea" she said with a blush.

"Good" she said, the brunette gave her a quick kiss and stood. She got the crutches and helped her to stand "I'm sorry honey, you need help from other people right now, you need to deal with that or I see a lot of spare room sleeping in your future" she took the blondes face in her hands "I'll go make sure Matt's put the coffee on, then come help you get ready" she gave a kiss and left.

Gail sighed and headed slowly to the bathroom.

 

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Holly was in the kitchen when Matt came from the spare room "I didn't think you two would surface until later" he said. His sister frowned at him "I heard her screaming last night" he said softly.

"Sorry" she said "The pain meds are making the dreams worse, so she's either screaming in fear or crying in pain" the brunette said tiredly.

"She's been quiet for a while, why are you up?" He asked "if she's settled shouldn't you guys sleep"

"We were" Holly said, pouring the already prepared coffee "The station rang, I need to go explain more evidence and SIU want to talk to Gail"

"SIU that's like internal affairs right?" He asked, she nodded "She in trouble?"

She shook her head "No, it's just more making sure the case is open and shut, this bullshit happens a lot with big cases" she explained.

"Do you want me to bring her down?" He offered.

"Not unless you want your head taken off, she's already thrown one tantrum at me already" she picked up the coffee mugs.

"That's what the bang was" he said with a grin.

"I had the gall to tell her she should take pain relief before going out"

"You bitch" he said dramatically.

"I know" Holly agreed with a grin and headed upstairs.

 

 

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Holly bought Gail in the station via the Sally port, the blonde didn't want to go through bull pen in a wheelchair. She pushed the chair herself as they headed to the parade room "There she is" Oliver said "interesting foot decoration" he said pointing to the drawing 'Sophie?' He mouthed. Gail nodded.

"If you two are good, I'm gonna go and get to work" Holly said resting her hand on the blondes shoulder.

Gail took her hand and kissed it "Okay" she said, she squeezed her hand and pulled her down "Don't go far" she said, the blonde had become clingy after getting over her tantrum, the doctor wasn't sure if it was the pain or something else, she was just trying to be there for her.

Holly kissed her "I won't, Oliver will come get me if you need me okay?" She stood.

The older man nodded, the brunette left, the blonde only letting go of her hand at the very last second "Come on, their in waiting room one, lets get this done" he said wheeling her out.

 

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"So the time line we have means we're still potentially missing two more?" Sam asked the doctor.

Holly sighed "I don't know that, only he can tell you that, I can just tell you what the evidence says and it says that the last dumped body we have was the skeletal remains found over in the reserve" she said showing him the file again "even though it was badly decayed it was still the freshest body, it was just more exposed to the elements, it had been there two months"

"But it's possible?" He asked.

The brunette looked to Traci who shrugged, they knew this already, she herself, didn't know why Sam seemed to want to go over and over it.

"Yes" Holly said, hoping it would shut him up.

"Is there anyway to physically tie him to each body?" The female detective asked.

The doctor smiled, a reasonably intelligent question at last, she picked up a file she'd finished the week before on angles of cuts and wounds on the victims "I consulted with the forensic anthropologist and he agrees with my findings, each victims throat wound had the same trajectory and almost the exact same nicks on the bone, meaning the same knife was used, with the same hand behind it"

"We found a number of knives at his property and storage unit" Sam said "They're at the lab now"

"Once they've been tested for samples, I'll have them sent to the forensic anthropologist for confirmation that one of them matches the marks on the bones" Holly said "That would confirm one is the murder weapon"

"You can't do it?" He asked.

The brunette sighed "I haven't slept much in the last 24 hours, I don't trust myself to do it at the moment and this is too important" she explained.

He nodded "So the DNA sample?" He asked.

Holly sighed.

 

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"Thank you for your time" the SIU officer said, shaking Gail's hand "This is all a formality, you've already been cleared to return to duty once you see the unit psychiatrist" She gestured to her leg "And you've recovered" she added.

The blonde nodded "thank you" she said, she wheeled herself over to the door and the officer let her out. Holly was leaning on the wall opposite, her head rested back and her eyes closed "Hey you" Gail said.

The brunette opened her eyes and pushed off the wall "Hey" she said, she leaned down and gave her a kiss. She got behind the chair to push it "How'd it go?"

"I have to see the unit shrink but I'm recommended for active duty once I'm back off leave" she said.

Holly kissed the top of her head "That's great" she said smiling.

Gail looked up "Really?"

"Of course" she said "I might be scared of losing you but I think you're great at your job and I'm glad you get to keep doing it"

"Peck" Frank said interrupting the conversation "there is someone here to see you" he said directing them to the parade room.

"It better not be......" The words died on the blondes lips when she saw the young woman who had been unconscious in the truck. She stared at her, she looked battered and bruised, but here she was, alive.

"I've been told I owe my life to you" she said stepping forward "My names Anna" she said holding out her hand.

Gail swallowed hard, her heart was hammering in her chest and she felt like she couldn't hear properly "I'm... I'm Gail..." She stuttered.

"Gail?" Holly said squatting down next to her, the second she saw the blondes face, she knew what was happening "give us a minute" she said not looking up. Gail grabbed at the brunette as he breathing quickened, she moved around in front of her "it's okay honey" she said letting her hold her arm. She needed to clear the room as she knew the blonde wouldn't want anyone to see her have a panic attack "Please Oliver" she said "Just give us a minute"

He nodded and cleared the room, returning to stand in the doorway.

"Hey" Holly said, taking the panicking blondes face in her hands "Gail listen to me, you are safe" her lovers eyes still weren't focusing on her and she was bordering hyperventilation "Come on love, I've got you" she kissed her, hoping it would work again. It did, she started to calm down and looked into the brunettes eyes.

"Hol?" She said softly, confused.

"It's okay" Holly said with a sigh "You had a panic attack" she explained.

The blondes brow scrunched in confusion, then realisation struck "the girl, oh god" she said covering her mouth.

"It's okay darlin" Oliver said coming over, sitting on a nearby chair "We should never have just surprised you like that, it would have been like seeing yourself"

"I do want to meet and talk to her" Gail said "I'm just not....." She looked to Holly, her eyes pleading with her to explain.

The brunette stood "She's had a rough time, this case has bought up a lot to do with Ross Perick, give her some time, we can set up a meetIng between them and they can talk"

The blonde slid her hand into her fiancés, squeezing it, she looked down at her and Gail smiled a very tired smile. 

"Pain?" She asked.

The now pale blonde nodded.

"I told you" Holly scolded with a smile.

 

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Gail signed her leave forms and they headed home, once there, Holly gave her a dose of Oxy and the blonde crashed out on the couch. The brunette just hoped she would get some peaceful sleep. Holly was standing in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in her hand, watching Gail rest when Matt came in "Shhhh" she whispered and pointed into the sitting room.

"I take it something happened" he whispered back.

"Another panic attack" she said still not taking her eyes off her.

He sighed "She's having a rough time" Holly nodded "I was thinking, maybe while she's off you two should plan and have an engagement party or at least an engagement announcement party" he said "Wouldn't our dear sister enjoy ending up at a gay engagement party without even knowing it" His sister looked at him like he was nuts "It would take her mind off things"

"And a social situation that involves both her mother and our sister is going to give her a whole new reason to panic" Holly pointed out.

"Ask her" he said "if she says no, I'll drop it" then he added "You know Mom looks for any excuse to visit now their coming back, I think she's homesick"

"Play the Mom card why don't you" she said shoving him.

 

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"Hol?" Gail said an hour later, her head popping up.

"Hey there speed bump" Matt said from the other couch, he had been quietly using his laptop "She's asleep on my bed at the moment, do you need something?" He asked putting the computer down and sitting forward.

"No" she resting back.

"Want a sandwich?" He offered "Or I could whip you up something?" He offered.

She looked over at him "I like you" she said "you make food, you can stay"

"Glad to have your permission" he asked and stood "So grilled cheese or how about a gourmet burger?" He offered.

"Burger" the blonde agreed.

He moved to the kitchen and started cooking at the bench so he could talk to Gail "So I hear you get a little loopy on Oxy" He said as he started making the patties.

"You'd get freaked out by a tiny elephant too" she said

"What?" He asked with a chuckle.

"There was a little pink elephant but it was okay McBitchy made it disappear" Gail explained as if he would understand.

He shook his head, she was loopy on the drug "Okay, so who is McBitchy?" He asked.

"Andy" she said.

"Ah, I met her at the hospital" he said "she seemed okay, why is she McBitchy?"

"Duh, she broke the code" Gail said, she pulled the wheelchair over and got into it, lifting her leg onto its rest.

The further Matt got into the conversation the less he understood but watching his future sister in law like this was amusing "I almost hate to ask what code" he said.

"Don't" Holly said from the doorway to the kitchen 'Not worth it' she mouthed at him.

Gail rolled over and tugged on the brunettes pants, she pulled that hard she landed on her lap, her weight thankfully on the blondes good leg "Gail" she shrieked, the blonde kissed her effectively shutting her up.

Holly broke the kiss "Hi" she said with a smile.

The blonde ran her hands through the brunettes hair "I love your hair it's so soft"

"Let me up" Holly said, trying to move.

Gail dropped her hands from her hair and held onto her waist, her hand slipping under her T-shirt sliding northward "Nope" She said with a grin.

The awkward angle meant the brunette had no chance of getting off the blonde unless she let her go, without hurting her "Gail" she said blushing, if they were alone she would indulge her amorous lover but her brother was ten feet away cooking them lunch "Gail" she yelped and grabbed the hand out of her top after it squeezed her breast.

"What?" The blonde said innocently as her nose nuzzled Holly's neck.

Matt stood in the kitchen laughing at Gail's antics as he was cooking them lunch, he loved seeing his sister so happy. He decided to concentrate on cooking and let them have some privacy as he turned to the stove to cook the burgers.

The brunette noticed her brother had turned away, she tugged the blondes head up and kissed her, she turned it slightly passionate, she'd been wanting to kiss her since this morning but the phone call and then Gail's tantrum had distracted them. The blonde went almost boneless as they kissed, just enjoying the moment, Holly slowed the kiss and pulled away brushing her fingers over Gail's lips "Wow" the blonde whispered.

"Mmmm" the brunette hummed and gave her another short kiss, her cell phone in her pocket rang, Gail released her and Holly got up and pulled it from her pocket "I'll just...." She said and walked towards her office.

"You done making out with my sister?" Matt asked Gail.

The blonde smiled "Nope" she wheeled herself into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge.

"I can get you things you know" he said coming up behind her.

"I can get things myself" she said pulling out a can of soda and laying it in her lap "when are you coming back?" She asked as she closed the fridge and moving back to the doorway out of his way.

"About two weeks"

Holly came back in "Just work, they wanna know if I'll be back after the weekend, I offered to be on call for any autopsies for next week as a compromise"

"I'll be okay on my own, once I'm on crutches" Gail said.

"I know" the brunette said, she leaned over and kissed her lover "I just worry that's all" she gave her another kiss.

"Sorry to interrupt" Matt said "but lunch is ready"

 

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After lunch, the couple headed upstairs for another nap, they were both exhausted from the night before, thanks to the pain meds, Gail had passed out almost immediately. Holly wasn't so lucky, she laid staring at the ceiling, she needed a minute, she knew it. If she didn't take it the hurt blonde would end up in the firing line when she finally did vent and she really didn't need it right now. She made a decision, kissed the blondes head, left her a note, purposely left her phone behind and headed out of the room. She went downstairs to let her brother know she was heading out for a while, jumped in Gail's SUV and drove, she wasn't going anywhere in particular just driving, when she pulled over she realised she was outside The Penny. She considered the building for a few minutes, grabbed her bag and headed inside. She ordered a drink at the bar then found a seat at the back, there wasn't really many people there. She'd been there for about an hour, had a few drinks when she saw a familiar red head walk in the bar, he asked the bartender a question, who pointed straight to her. She sighed and downed the drink in her hand "She called you huh?" Holly asked.

"She's worried" Steve said sitting next to her "Oliver was on patrol and saw Gail's car in the lot, so when she called saying you'd left, without your phone and not come back for a while I figured you were here" he looked at her worried "I know things are...."

"It's okay Steve" she said "I'm not leaving her, not for this, I'm....." She played with the glass "I'm just tired"

"Anything you say won't leave this table" he said putting a hand on hers "I know for a fact that you are the greatest thing that happened to her and I'll help her as much as I can not to screw it up"

"That's the thing though, I'm not perfect, I'm not handling this as well as I should, do you know what I did last night?" She said "I laid there and watched her sleep, almost every hour she woke up, either screaming from a nightmare or crying in pain, it tore my heart apart not being able to help her. Then this morning when I suggested she take pain killers before going to do her statement, she threw a tantrum, then after she calmed down she was clinging to me" she sighed "I can and will do this for her because I love her more than life itself and the next time it happens I'll do it again" she said "I just need to be able to vent too, I need to be able to spend five minutes to recharge" She downed the rest of her drink.

"In a bar?" Steve asked.

Holly shrugged "You know when she told me she'd turned down Frank's offer to do the detective rotation I was relieved, do you know why?" He shrugged "Because death rates are higher with detective shootings because you don't wear vests, injury rates are higher in beat cop shootings but not deaths. I see every day the damage a bullet does" She sighed "One sec" she added, got up and walked to the bar. He just watched her order another drink, she returned to the table with it and sat back down. She didn't speak right away just turned the glass, after a minute she continued "She's talking marriage and kids, Steve and not in the future, do you know she....." She stopped, realising who she was about to tell.

He smiled at her "Traci told me, congratulations by the way"

"Oh" she said, the alcohol in her system was making her lose track of her thoughts, she shook her head then remembered "we're talking getting married and having kids now basically which I want too. So we get married and have kids and then next time it's not just a broken leg and stitches in her head, next time it's a gun and bullet wounds and Oliver or you turning up and taking me there to say good bye and then even though the woman I absolutely adore is gone I have to pull myself together enough to raise our children alone or she's hurt and it takes years of watching her go through painful rehab to recover and she pushes me away again because she thinks I can't handle it or she's not worth it" the brunette was crying openly as she spoke, tears streaming down her cheeks "I love her so fucking much that I will put myself through all that just to get what time I have with her" she pulled a napkin from her pocket and blew her nose.

"Have you said all that to her?" He asked.

"No" Holly said "She knows I'm scared but I'm worried if I explain how scared, she'll run again and I really won't survive that silence again"

"I told you I won't do that Baby" Gail said from behind her.

She turned, frowning at the woman in the wheel chair in front of her "How....."

"Hi" her brother said from the bar.

"I've got it" the blonde said to her brother, she held out her hand and grabbed his as he walked past her wheelchair, she tugged him down and kissed his cheek "thanks" she whispered.

"Anytime" he said and patted her shoulder, he walked over and started talking to Matt.

"So...." Gail said "You should have told me"

Holly looked at her glass "How much did you hear?"

"Well we were outside when you ordered your drink and followed you in" the blonde explained, she rolled the chair forward so she was right in front of her "So pretty much from when Steve told you that he knew we were engaged, which I'm gonna kill Traci for"

"Oh" the brunette said with a blush "so basically all the crap I didn't want to put on you" She was still looking at the drink.

Gail reached out and put her hand under her chin, tilting her head up "I need to hear it Hol, you need to tell me these things, if your that scared, you have to say, otherwise one day your gonna wake up and resent me for not understanding something you never told me" She pulled her hand back.

As round about as all that had sounded, Holly got the point, they needed to remember to talk to each other, not bottle which was what she had done "You're right" she said softly "Turns out I'm not so great at this relationship crap either"

"No but we're learning" Gail said and looked to their brothers "and we have some awesome family right there who will make sure we don't fuck it up too badly"

Holly reached out and took her hand "I'm sorry for disappearing and..." She pointed at the glass "And drinking, I should have....."

"No baby there is nothing you should have done, you needed a moment, it's okay" the blonde said pushing her abandonment issues away "I did worry when I woke up alone, your phone on the bedside, charging and you weren't in the house, but I know you love me and won't leave at least without a decent explanation first"

Holly stood, bent forward and took her face in her hands "I won't leave you period, I love you future Mrs Stewart" she gave her a kiss. Just a soft reassuring kiss, she pulled back and kissed the blondes nose.

"Your pretty determined on the Stewart thing aren't you" she said with a grin.

"Well at least then you could escape some of the Peck legacy" the brunette pointed out as she stood back up.

The blonde got a devilish smile on her face "And it would forever bug my mother"

 

 

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"I need a favour" Gail asked her future brother in law. When they got back from the Penny, Holly had been told go upstairs and have a relaxing bath, leaving the other pair alone.

"And what do you need from me?" Matt asked, he was starting to get their dinner ready.

"I need a ride to buy a few things, I was suppose to be taking her on a date tomorrow night and I wanna take her out and make our engagement official, considering I'm not even allowed on crutches until Saturday, I kinda need help to organise it" the blonde said her head down playing with the end of her cast, she hated having to ask for help, especially with this.

He smiled "Sure, think she could use the boost right now" He agreed as he cut up chicken.

"I'm sorry I've put her through this" Gail said "it's not easy"

"No but you love each other, it's what matters" before anymore could be said Matt's phone rang, he looked at the number and frowned, he put the chicken back in the fridge and took the phone outside.

"Weird" Gail said and wheeled back in the sitting room.

 

 

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Gail was dozing on the couch when she felt her lover rest against her gently, the warmth of her recently bathed body seeping through the clothes "Mmmmm" the blonde murmured "You're nice and warm" she said her hands drifting up the back of the brunettes pyjama top.

"You take your pain pills?" Holly asked, she had straddled the blondes hips, being careful of her leg and rested her upper body against her girlfriends.

"Yes" Gail said, she opened her eyes and leaned up to capture the brunettes lips.

They kissed softly, just a slow lazy dance between them, they tuned out the world, only when Matt tapped Holly on the shoulder did the even realise he was there "Sorry to interrupt, I need to head out for a bit, Chris is having a crisis and he hasn't got a sponsor yet so I'm just gonna head over make sure he's okay"

"Okay" his sister said back and sat up a bit, still a little light headed from the kiss.

"I'll grab pizza on my way back" he said and left.

"House to ourselves" Gail said as she pulled her hands out and started unbuttoning Holly's flannelette pyjama shirt.

"Gail" the brunette said, laying back down.

"Holly" she said back, lifting her head to kiss her lovers neck.

"Mmmmm" Holly gave in and put her hand in the blondes hair. She forgot her injuries for a few seconds until her fingers brushed the dressing at the back of her head and Gail sucked in a breath "I'm sorry" the brunette said sitting up, she went to get off the blonde but she held onto her hips.

"It's okay" Gail said, her hands rubbing across Holly's thighs "I'm fine, it just stung a little"

"We shouldn't...." The brunette started.

"Maybe today is a bit ambitious on my part" the blonde said "But I definitely want you right now, even if my body can't do it"

Holly smiled at her, her girlfriend was trying to reassure her, her methods might not be normal but she always gets an A for effort, she picked up the blondes hands and laced their fingers "I was talking to Matt earlier, he thinks we should have an engagement party or what did he call it..... An engagement announcement party, so then Jill won't know what she's attending until the last minute"

Gail grinned at her "I like the sound of that, when would you want to do it?" She asked.

"You're okay with it?" The brunette asked a little shocked "or is this the oxy talking again?"

The blonde gave her a smirk "You know I enjoy mixing the...ummm.." She scrunched face trying to remember the saying "Stirring?" She tried, the meds clouding her brain.

Holly chuckled "I think what you mean is, you like stirring the pot" she pinned Gail's hands back on the pillows her head was on "Do you really want to have a party, invite lots of people and announce we are going to get married?"

The blonde just smiled at her, she leaned up and gave her a kiss "I really do" she said pulling back.

"I think I'll ask you again when you are not under the influence of narcotics" The doctor said, she released Gail, who wrapped her arms around the brunette and pulled her close, just wanting to enjoy the feeling of each other.

 

 

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"Come on speed bump" Matt called at the front door "We don't have long, she's only been called in to verify some results for your friends not to dig up old bones"

"Trust me they'll keep her busy" Gail said coming to the door "I made sure Traci had a whole list of questions for her, she knows what we're up to"

"You do know she's getting the shits with having to tell them all this stuff, doing that may not have been wise" he said as he picked her up to put her into the car.

"Yea but unlike Swarek, who doesn't listen to anyone else, I actually pay attention to what she does and know the right questions for Traci to ask so it doesn't piss her off, plus Swarek is handling James Allen's transfer from hospital to county jail today, so no idiot to drive her crazy"

He put her in the seat "You planned it well" he said and shut her door.

 

 

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"Hey" Holly said to Traci as she walked into the homicide office with a box of files "Where's Sam?" She asked noticing the detective was alone.

"Handling Allen's transfer to jail" Traci said "So just us today"

"Can I ask you something and you be truthful?" The brunette asked as she put the box on the table, the detective knew what was coming but nodded anyway "Did Gail put you up to calling me today? She was acting weird this morning"

"She's always weird on pain killers" Traci remarked.

"No not like that" Holly said

The detective sighed "yea she did, she wants to do something special for your date tomorrow and needed to go out, she roped me and your brother in to help"

The brunette couldn't help but smile "Wow I....." She was at a lost for words.

"I know" Traci said "Just don't tell her I told you, she'd kill me, she already used the fact I told Steve about your engagement to get me to do this" 

"I won't, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something else" the brunette explained.

"How are you holding up?"

"You heard about yesterday Huh?" Holly said pulling the files out.

"Steve mentioned it" Traci said "I know we're Gail's friends but you can call us, as Chris said you are part of the group now" The detective thought for a beat "Mind you I'm not too sure I would be proud of that fact"

 

 

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"Are you sure she'll like it?" The blonde asked her future brother in law, showing him the ring she had finally chosen, after an hour of looking. It was a simple ring, a white gold band with a simple three diamond set.

"She'll love it" he said and checked his watch "We should get going though if you wanna beat her home"

"Alright" Gail agreed and she paid for the ring. They got a few more things, the blonde a few things for Holly and Matt got some makings for their dinner.

They arrived home about ten minutes after the brunette did, she came out when she heard her brother's car pull up "Where you been?" She asked casually, walking up to Gail's open door.

"Had a few errands to run, so while you were with Traci we thought it was a good opportunity to get it done" the blonde explained, not a lie, just not all the information.

Holly smiled, she knew the truth and enjoyed making her girlfriend squirm a little "I just got a call from my lawyer" the brunette said as she moved aside so her brother could lift Gail from the car "They found her, Sophie's Aunt, the details are being sent to social services"

"So we might have an answer soon?" The blonde said as she was put in the chair.

Holly moved into the house, the blonde following, she sat down in the sitting room, Gail stopped next to her "we might know in the next few days if we can possibly go ahead with all this" She said, she picked her fiancés hand "We need to be sure, so really think about it" she kissed her hand.

The blonde squeezed her hand "You too" she whispered. They shared a smile.

 

 

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Friday night came around fairly quickly, the couple had finally had a reasonably restful nights sleep, Gail only being woken by one nightmare. She had started refusing the stronger pain meds as they had made the dreams so much worse, she figured she could handle the pain more than the dreams. They had gone to the therapy appointment on Thursday afternoon together, Janine had given Holly some tips on handling the panic attacks and any other issues that may arise then they had booked another appointment for Monday. 

When it came to getting ready to go out, Gail had spent over an hour in the bathroom trying to get dressed up, without assistance, she'd only managed a bath when Holly helped her then insisted she could do the rest, every time she stood to try and get dressed the pain in her leg would increase, making her sit down again. She was a mess by the time she only managed to put her underwear on "Hol?" She called, knowing the brunette would be in the next room.

"You okay?" The tentative voice came from the bedroom.

"I need you" she said sounding defeated. The door opened and the fully dressed and made up brunette appeared, she was wearing black dress pants, a cream coloured blouse and a black vest, under a black jacket "Wow" was all Gail could say as she sat on the closed toilet in the underwear, brand new underwear.

"I could say the same thing" Holly said looking at the deep red matching bra and panty combo the blonde had on, she looked defeated, her head resting on the wall.

"Doesn't go with the cast though" Gail said, held out her hand for the brunette to take "I'm sorry" she said as she tugged her to her feet "I can't even dress myself"

Holly held her around the waist supporting most of her weight as she hopped into the bedroom. She sat her on the bed and kissed her forehead "An unfortunate drawback to a broken leg" she went into the bathroom, grabbing the dress from the hanger, it was a black dress with short sleeves that stopped around her mid thigh "You can take something for the pain Hun, you would find doing things a lot easier" She said as she put the dress on the bed.

Gail shook her head "Not with the dreams" she said looking down.

"I know" Holly pulled open the drawer on the blondes side of the bed, she opened the pill bottle and handed her two pills "These aren't oxy, its got codeine in it but not a lot so it won't hit you as hard, it won't do as much for the pain either but it will help" she handed her a glass of water "We don't have to do this you know" she said her hand resting on Gail's cheek.

The blonde took the hand and kissed it "We've put this off enough" she leaned over and pulled a gift bag from under the bed and handed it to Holly.

"What is this?" The brunette asked.

"Just look" Gail said with a smile.

Holly sat next to her and looked, there was a bottle of her favourite wine, an envelope and a folded piece of paper. She looked to her lover then opened the paper, she read it and looked at Gail "Really?"

"I asked Matt if he would open the VIP room at the restaurant for us tonight so we could be alone" she pointed to the paper "These are the dishes on offer tonight, the wine is for our dinner"

The brunette smiled at her then picked up the envelope, inside were two plane tickets to New York in two weeks time, the return tickets were for a week later "Gail" she whispered.

"I talked to my mom, with all the work you've done for the Allen case, I asked that you be given leave for that week so we could get away, she put in a request with your boss who happily said yes. I've never been to New York and then we can visit your folks too" she explained.

Holly had tears in her eyes "But why honey?" She asked "I don't....." She trailed off.

"We both need a break, why not take one away from here, it's all organised and paid for. Matt helped me finish the planning today" Gail explained "just say yes, tell me you love me, kiss me and help me get dressed so we can go have our dinner"

The brunette brushed the tears away "Yes" she said with a smile "of course I love you" she gave her a heated kissed, then started helping her dress.

 

 

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Once they were in the restaurant, they were taken to the VIP room, it was a new feature to the place that had been very popular with couples. The chair was moved for Gail's wheelchair and Holly was seated across from her, Matt came out dressed in his chef whites "Tonight, I will be your chef and server to ensure you have a peaceful experience" he said and placed menus in front of them "Drinks?" The blonde had already given him he wine at the house.

"Lemon squash" Gail said.

"Would you like your wine?" He asked his sister formally.

"I would love it" she said and he turned to the kitchen "How did you manage to talk him into this?" She whispered.

Gail gave her a smirk "I happen to be very good at charming the Stewart clan" Holly tilted her head at her, an indication that she didn't believe her "Alright, I might have agreed to let him cater our not yet decided on engagement announcement party and get my mother to taste his cooking so she might hire the restaurant to cater for some of the benefits they hold" the blonde explained.

The brunette was impressed "Well good thing I love his cooking" she said with a smile "if he wants to try and sell his soul to Elaine Peck who are we to stop him" she added.

Gail chuckled, Matt came back with their drinks "I'll give you longer" he said and left.

"He's good at his job" the blonde said and looked at the very small menu.

"He is very good" Holly said " it's what saved him" she was looking at her menu but Gail could see the pride in her eyes.

The brunettes brother came back in and took their menus "I've decided no menus" he said with a smile "You both eat seafood?" He asked already knowing his sisters answer.

"Yes" the blonde said.

"And no egg that's not cooked in and your allergic to tomatoes" he added looking at Gail who nodded.

"How about bruschetta to start?" He joked, the blonde looked horrified "I'm joking, I have a platter of cheeses ready for you" he said and disappeared.

 

 

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After being fed, their entree and a main course that consisted of all different types of seafood, that they shared. Gail had shifted so she was seated next to the brunette as they ate, feeding each other, laughing and enjoying the time basically alone. After their plates were cleared and an offer of dessert, which was a very rich chocolate cake, the blonde took a breath "Have you enjoyed tonight?" She asked her lover.

Holly smiled at her, resting her hand on her leg "Of course, it's been probably best date I've ever been on, you'll have to work hard to top this"

Gail reached down in the chair next to her and grabbed the small box, she took another breath "Holly" she said her voice shaking slightly, she lifted the ring box and sat it on the table, the brunette gasped and looked into the blondes eyes "Before you say anything, let me get through this...I'd get down on one knee but...." she took both of Holly's hands in hers "That first day with you, I knew you were different. You surprised me not many people do that but you did" she smiled at her "You challenged me, you sassed me and even when I told you that dumb cat analogy you understood. You get me, no one ever did before you, they didn't even really try but you do, everyday you help me be the person I want to be and even when I stumble and fall, you pick me up, dust me off and help me go in the right direction. I want to be that person for you, I love you so damn much and I want to spend the rest of our lives, showing you just how much" they both had tears in their eyes, she took her hands back and opened the velvet box "Holly Rose Stewart will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

The doctors hands went to her mouth, she muttered "Oh my god" to herself "Gail"

The blonde smiled " Well?" She pulled the ring from its resting spot.

"Of course, I already said yes" Gail slid the ring onto her finger, grabbed Holly by the lapels on her jacket and kissed her hard, without thinking the brunette ran her fingers through the blondes short hair until her fingers hit the now uncovered stitches "Owww" Gail mutters into her lips.

Holly pulled back and blushed "Sorry.... I just....Wow" she said resting her head on the blondes.

"Nice to see I can leave you speechless" the blonde said, she gave her another kiss then leaned back into the chair, sitting forward was putting pressure on her leg. Gail saw Matt standing in the doorway behind Holly, he gave her two thumbs up and quietly slipped back out.

The brunette looked at the ring that now rested on her finger "You always have made me speechless sweetheart" she said and reached out and took her hand "That was beautiful by the way" she leant forward in the chair "Before we take the chair back tomorrow I think we need to make one more shopping trip" she said rubbing Gail's ring finger on her left hand.

"Sounds perfect" the blonde agreed.

 

 

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Later that night, after heading back from the restaurant, Gail had been too tired to do much more than sleep, Matt had carried her to the second floor, the blonde vowing it was for the last time. They'd changed and gotten into bed, Gail was laying on her back, leg up on a pillow, with Holly tucked into her side, she currently had her left hand up in the air admiring the ring that now rested on it "Do you like it?" The blonde asked a little unsure.

"I love it" she said, she bought her hand down and turned Gail's face to hers, she gave her a kiss "I think it's beautiful honey" she said.

"Okay" the blonde said and kissed her "I want you to choose mine, I'll come for the fitting but I want you to choose, I chose yours you can choose mine"

"Really?" Holly asked with a smile at the slightly incoherent rambling thanks to the pain meds she had taken when they'd gotten home.

"Really" 

 

 

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	15. Chapter Fifteen

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Hey all,  
Sorry this update took so long, life's been well busy. Unfortunately my mum, who already had spinal surgery 11 years ago to have a disc removed that basically exploded in her back and almost caused her to end up in a wheelchair, has a bulging disc in her back on her L3 and is pretty much confined to bed and high on oxy for a while (she's not as interesting on it as Gail is lol), she is having an MRI on Wednesday so should know more then. So right now I'm spending most of my time helping her out, cooking, cleaning, doing all the household stuff so it hasn't really left me much writing time. I'll do my best to keep updating both my stories, writing is a great distraction for me so it helps. Anyway enough complaining. Hope this updates okay, thanks to all those awesome people who reviewed. I love reading them. Read and review please.

 

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Disclaimer : I don't own it or profit from it. Only my characters and I don't profit from them either.

 

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Chapter Fifteen 

 

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"Oh fuck" Gail muttered, Holly was above her, they were moving together, the brunettes head was at her neck lips kissing and sucking, her fingers buried deep inside her "Keep going baby" she groaned "I'm close"  
The brunette pulled back slightly wanting to watch her lover come undone, she adjusted her angle and pushed deeper into the woman under her, knowing it would push her over the edge "Cum for me baby" Holly whispered huskily.   
"Oh Holly.... Holly... Holly...." Gail chanted as her body went over the edge, she arched her back and shuddered violently as the climax ripped through her body.  
The brunette continued thrusting, only slowing when her lover sagged bonelessly on the bed.  
Holly moved to the side of the blonde, pulling the blankets back up over them to keep out the early morning chill. Gail had woken about an hour earlier, crying from a nightmare after calming down, the blonde had reached for the brunette, needing more than comfort to settle her enough to sleep again. As Holly had bought her to that dizzying high for the third time, her body and mind were finally at ease enough to rest. The brunette wrapped her arms around the blonde as she moved to rest her head on her chest "What about you?" Gail asked sleepily, her hand resting on Holly's stomach.  
"Later" she whispered and kissed her head "Sleep Honey" she said and closed her eyes.   
"I love you" the blonde murmured.  
"I love you too" the brunette said against her head. They both drifted off soon after.

 

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Holly yawned as she walked into the kitchen, fully dressed, a few hours later "Morning" she said to her brother, who was sitting at the bench as she made a beeline for the coffee.  
"Bad night?" He asked.  
"Sort of, we didn't wake you did we?" She asked as she poured her drink.  
"Nope" he said "I thought I might hang out till lunch if that's okay, I know you guys wanna go ring shopping this afternoon"  
The comment made the brunette look at the ring on her finger and smile "That's fine, she probably won't be up for a while, she had oxy about an hour ago" Holly said as she looked up at the clock. It was just after 8.30.  
Before the conversation could continue The brunettes cell phone rang in her pocket, she frowned "Its work" she answered it "Dr Stewart" she listened for a while "But I'm not on call this weekend, Davidson is" she said angrily, she stopped again "Tell him he has to" she sighed "Fine, I'll do it but next time I tell you I'm on personal leave, contact the city for an alternate, not me" she ended the call.  
"I feel a little sorry for whoever that was" Matt said with a smirk.  
Holly returned it "Believe it or not that was my boss, the chief medical examiner. He is on leave too at the moment, visiting his daughter in Vancouver who just had a baby and the other fully qualified pathologist in our lab has decided that he doesn't want to take a homicide case today even though he's on call because he's too busy playing golf"  
"That sucks" he said "so will you be gone all day?"  
She glanced at the clock on her phone "If I get out of here now, I should be able to check the scene and get the autopsy done by lunch, I'll do the report from home this afternoon" she tipped her coffee into a travel mug, went upstairs, left a note for Gail and grabbed her gear.  
"Keep an eye on her for me" she said to her brother as she left.  
"Always" he said as the door closed.

 

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"Has to be a gang banger if your here" Holly said as she walked up behind her future brother in law.  
"It's a definite possibility" Steve said "How you holding up?" He asked.  
"Better" she said as she squatted down next to the body "I just need to learn to vent" she lifted the leather jacket on the victim "from what I can see, three shots directly to the upper chest, probably before the head shot as there isn't much blood pooled around the head" she looked in his pockets, finding a wallet, she tossed it to Steve.  
"Enrique Alonzo" he said, reading the licence, he looked at the photo then the victim "Same guy" he said showing her.  
Holly nodded "Our friend here must have pissed someone off, from the look of this, all the fingers on his right hand are broken"  
"Dowling Crew" Steve told her "that's their thing"  
The brunette stood, pulling her gloves off "If you don't mind, I'll leave the rest of the scene to the techs, I'm not even on call this weekend, I'd like to get the body back so I can do the autopsy and go home"  
"Sure" he said "call me if you need anything"

 

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Matt was doing some paperwork on his computer for the new restaurant, he'd been at it for about an hour when he heard a blood curdling scream come from upstairs "Shit" he exclaimed, threw the computer onto the couch and took off up the stairs. When he reached the bedroom door, the blonde was still screaming on the bed "Gail" he said as he got to her side.  
"NO" she screamed "NO" he started to worry about her leg when she started thrashing.  
"Gail, it's just a dream, it's okay" he said, shaking her shoulders.  
"Holly, no, please Holly" she muttered.  
"Gail" he said again.  
She stopped moving and sat up bolt up right, vice grip on the blanket, looking at him "Matt?" She questioned.  
"Yea it's me" he said relieved.  
"Where's Holly?" She asked looking confused.  
Unsure if he should try and comfort her, he just reached over and grabbed the note she had left "She got a call about a body, she said she'll be back about lunchtime"  
Gail didn't take the note, just looked at him, she was shaking and there was sweat dripping down her head "Matt" she sobbed.  
He sat next to her on the bed "Come here speed bump" he said pulling her against his chest and laying on the bed so she could lay against him. After a few minutes Matt spoke "How you doing?"  
Gail sighed "I'm sorry" she said not looking up.  
"Don't you dare apologise, I know you can't help it" he paused for a beat "what was the dream about?" He figured he would try to get her to open up and if she didn't want to talk, he wouldn't push her.  
She sighed again and hiccuped back tears "it was about when I was..... I was tied up in the basement, in most of the dreams....I.... I relive it"  
"You were talking about Holly" he pointed out.  
"Sometimes she's there and I'm trying to help her" she said softly "that's what this one was about"  
The blonde was still shaking against him, he knew she really needed at least to see Holly before she would truly settle down, he kissed Gail's head and handed her the note "Get up and dressed, I'll take you to see the good doctor"  
She sat up and looked at the note and smiled 'Been called in, Davidson is dead to me by the way, I love you very much, don't be too hard on Matt. I'll bring lunch home, all my love H oxox' "Are you sure you don't mind?" She said as she gently moved to the side of the bed.  
"It's fine, I should spend some time with her before I go anyway" he said and got up "give me a yell, I'll come bring you down" he said and left.

 

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Holly had just gotten the body delivered and was setting up for the autopsy when there was a knock at the door "Dr Stewart" Rodney said "there's a woman here to see you, says she's a friend of yours"  
Rachel would have told him who it was and no one else would come down here aside from the police officers she knew or people she had told them to let through "What does she look like?"  
"Brunette, skinny, lotsa attitude" he said.  
Holly rolled her eyes "must be Lisa" she muttered "Great" she thought for a second "Tell her you can't disturb me, and if she's my friend she can call me to work out a more convenient time, if you have any problems tell her you'll have to contact our friends at 15th division, that'll make her go" she smiled to herself as he left, grinning and shaking his head.  
He returned within about five minutes "Lisa said to say that she heard about your work on the serial case and wanted to congratulate you and she wasn't leaving till she could speak to you" he was smiling barely holding his giggles in "as soon as I mentioned 15 she took off like her ass was on fire" he laughed, he had some idea if what happened with Lisa and Gail and was enjoying watching her be tortured.  
Holly smiled "Thanks for that"  
"Just remember it when it comes time for end of year evaluations" he said and winked at her.  
"I will" she said

 

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Holly had just finished examining the victims brain when her cell phone beeped with a text message. She looked at the desk where the phone was, she hadn't made the Y incision yet so she pulled of her gloves and picked up the phone. It was Matt 'Gail had a nightmare, she's getting dressed so I can bring her down'  
The brunette pushed a few buttons and put the phone to her ear "I can come home" she said when he answered.  
"She's okay Hol" he said "She's a bit shaken, I think she just needs to see your okay so I thought we'd come down, she'll get cabin fever if she's home too much anyway"  
Holly sighed "I would rather just be there, even though I do really need to get this done" she sighed again "Okay bring her down, can you grab some coffee on your way?"  
"Should you really be working homicide cases when you are this tired?" He asked.  
"No that's why I took personal leave" she explained "I better get to it, I'll see you soon"  
They said goodbye and ended the call. Holly looked back at the body "Come on buddy, time to tell your story"

 

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"We come baring coffee, pastries and doughnuts" Gail said as she wheeled herself into the autopsy room.  
Holly looked over and smiled at her as she tugged off her apron and gloves "Hey" she said with a smile.  
"Slow down" Matt called as he ran in the room "you give her one ramp and she's gone" he added panting and bending over trying to get his breath back.  
"You were taking too long" the blonde said then looked back at her lover, she realised she was wearing her lab coat and her mouth went dry as she remembered the night at the cabin.  
Holly recognised the look on her face and turned to her brother "Can you give us a minute?" She asked.  
He nodded and stood up "I'll go die in your office for a bit" he said and left.  
"Gail" the brunette said, the other woman didn't answer, just continued to space out "Gail" She said again.  
The blondes head shot up so she could look her in the eye and blushed heavily "Sorry" she mumbled.  
Holly sauntered over to her "Don't be sorry, it looked like an enjoyable sex flashback" she said as she squatted down in front of her, she took the coffee and bag of treats off Gail's lap and put them on the desk  
The blondes eyes narrowed "It's your fault you know, I told you this would happen"  
"I know" the brunette said resting her hands on Gail's thighs "You doing okay?" She asked seriously.  
The blonde nervously moved her hands "Nightmare" she said softly.  
"Bad?" Holly asked, taking her moving hands.  
Gail nodded "You were there again" she whispered.  
"Okay" she said, she stood and gave her a kiss "You wanna talk or just hang out till I'm done" she knew the blonde liked being down there.  
Gail gave her hands a squeeze "Just hangout if that's okay?" She asked, they both knew this would come up at the next therapy session so neither really wanted to push talking about it.  
"I'd love that" Holly gave her another kiss and let her hands go, heading back to put the apron and gloves on "I thought you'd be busting to use the crutches" she said as she went back to the body.  
The blonde grabbed her coffee and pulled a doughnut out of the bag "That takes energy" she said biting the treat.  
The brunette shook her head and laughed as she got back to work.

 

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"You got anything....." Steve trailed off as he came into the autopsy room to find his sister doing wheelies in her wheelchair, while Holly worked and Matt encouraged Gail.  
"Hey big brother" the blonde said and dropped her front wheels back down "Must be a gang case" she said in a stage whisper to the doctors brother.  
The detective looked to Holly, who shrugged "Could be the Oxy" she said.  
Gail wheeled over to her brother "Your not carrying any little pink elephants are you?" She asked seriously narrowing her eyes at him.  
Everyone in the room tried not to laugh "Not that I know of" he said with a chuckle.  
"Good" she said wheeling backwards away from him "they freak me out"  
"Okay" Steve said shaking his head and going to the doctor "Now that's sorted, anything you can give me?"  
She pulled off her gloves and picked up the evidence bags "the chest and head shots were from two different guns, head shot was definitely done postmortem"  
"How long between the shots?" He asked.  
"He probably bled out in a minute or two so I would say anywhere from a minute or two to about 10" she explained.  
"I'll pass these on" he said about the bullets "The report, no rush, sometime tomorrow if possible" he said, knowing Holly was spending much of her time looking after his drugged up, hurt sister.  
"Thanks but I'll probably get it to you today" she said.  
"No I mean it, it should be Davidson's case" the brunette frowned at him "I checked because I thought you were on leave, if there's any fallout from it coming later I'll make sure he gets in trouble, so please take your time"  
Holly smiled, she knew that one phone call from Steve to Elaine could cause her colleague problems so she put her hands up in defeat "tomorrow it is" she said "Do you need anymore?" She asked.  
"Not right now" he said and looked at his little sister "You are doing an awesome job you know" he said "I love her dearly and will defend her to my last breath but she can drive you insane" he patted her back "You are stronger than I am"  
Holly smiled as she looked at her fiancée and brother playing around "What can I say, she's worth it"  
Steve's pat turned into a quick hug with one arm and a kiss on the cheek "I'm just glad the someone who finally saw that was you" he whispered and pulled away "Hey garbage pail" he said.  
Gail turned, she was bright red with embarrassment "What ass face?" She growled.  
"I gotta go, I'll be sure to grab a little pink elephant for you" he said and took off.  
Holly shook her head as Gail went to chase but stopped at the doorway when she realised he was gone, she smiled as she knew this was the Peck siblings unique way of expressing their affection.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

They went to the mall with Matt, who kept Gail company while Holly chose her ring after which they stopped at the food court for a quick lunch then headed home. Matt said a quick goodbye, he would be back just before they went to New York and would be dropping them at the airport. They'd decided not to return the wheelchair yet as the blonde was still tiring easily and would more than likely still need it now and then, plus it was safer when they went out until she was in a walking cast or a brace.  
When they had gotten home and after Matt was gone, Holly had gone into her office put her note taker onto the computer to convert, she was bending over trying to find the charge cord for it when Gail came up behind her on the crutches, she tugged the brunettes backside into her and tugged at her waist "You after something officer?" She asked, standing up.  
"Just you" Gail said as she held the doctor against her, she buried her face in her neck.  
"Everything okay?" Holly asked, her hand going up behind the blondes neck, being careful not to touch the stitches in her head.  
Gail breathed her lover in "Not really" She sighed.  
"Pain?" The brunette asked.  
She felt her fiancée shrug against her, which in Gail speak was a yes. She could tell there was more but didn't push, she ran her free hand down the blondes arm and linked their fingers "Why don't you go get comfortable on the couch, I'll find this charger and get you something for the pain"  
"Nothing strong" Gail muttered into her neck.  
"Okay" Holly helped her to the couch, did the few things she needed to, made some popcorn and sat on the couch with her lover, content to just spend the time together.

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

After about an hour the brunette slipped the ring she had bought her fiancée that day from her pocket, they were laying on the couch together, Gail's body against her "Sweetheart?" She said softly.  
The blonde tilted her head up so she could see Holly "Yea"  
The doctor kissed her softly "I love you" she said as she held up the ring "will you be mine?" She asked.  
Gail smiled "You sexy nerd, I always have been" she gave her another kiss, as she did Holly slipped the ring onto her finger.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Gail disposition had changed over the weekend, her nightmares were worse, her moods were terrible and from Sunday she had snapped at Holly at least a dozen times with apologies and tears coming straight after, by Tuesday morning the brunette finally found out the cause.  
They were awake in bed in the early hours, Holly cuddling Gail from behind, just happy that the other woman wasn't yelling at her for five minutes, when the blonde finally voiced her fear "What if she takes her away?" She said softly as she took the brunettes hand that was around her and linked their fingers.  
"Honey, you mean Sophie?" Holly asked, just making sure.  
"Yea, I mean what if she just takes her away, I get it, she's her family and she should be with her family" the blonde sniffed and wiped at the tears "But I don't wanna lose her forever"  
"You've resigned yourself to the fact she's not going to be ours" The brunette said, her heart breaking a little for her love "There is a chance...." She trailed off.  
Gail shook her head "I just.... I feel it in my gut" she said "If it was Steve's kid, I know there's no way I'd let anyone else have her" she sighed "I just hope we can still see her"  
"We'll talk to her or whoever we need to honey, we'll try and be a part of her life" Holly tried to reassure her, she kissed her shoulder "I don't want to lose her either" she confessed.  
Gail slowly turned in her arms, she gave her a soft kiss and cuddled close, just needing to be with each other in that moment.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly had been called out to a body before lunch, Gail had opted to stay home. The brunette had hesitated leaving after the conversation that morning. The blonde, who had been clingy after finally discussing the issue had assured her she would be okay for a while. The doctor had checked in when she'd gotten back to the morgue just after lunchtime, she was doing the autopsy and would come back to finish the report there. After the call, the blonde had started up the PlayStation and was mid game when there was a knock on the door. She paused it, grabbed her crutches and slowly made her way over, the person knocked again "Yea yea I'm coming" she muttered, she opened the door to find a dark skinned woman standing on the front porch "Can I help you?" She asked leaning heavily on the crutches.  
"Hi" the woman said hesitantly "I'm umm...." She didn't say anymore just looked at the blonde nervously.  
"Look as much as I would love to stand here all day as you can see I have a broken leg and I would like to sit before the sun goes down" Gail said impatiently, shifting backwards ready to close the door.  
"You must be Gail, Sophie said you got hurt catching a bad guy" the woman said, she sighed "I'm Kira Shandon, Trina's sister, Sophie's aunt" she explained.  
A feeling of dread ran through the blondes body, she stood shocked for a few seconds, then a thought entered her head "How did you find out where we live?"  
"I paid off that private detective you hired to find me, I was curious about you" Kira said "I don't mean to intrude, it's just since Friday I've found out my sister is dead and my niece has no one and was about to go into the foster system, then I go to see her and she tells me all about these two women she's friends with and might go live with one day" she sighed again "wouldn't you be curious?" she asked.  
Before anymore could be said, Gail's SUV pulled into the drive way, the blonde sighed in relief. Holly got out of the car, carrying her bag and her kit "Hey" she said as she walked up the steps and around the woman "I'm Holly" she said "Do you wanna come in?" Gail frowned at her "Trisha called when I was on my way home, Kira here just wants to meet us, that's all" she said to the blonde with an expression that said 'trust me I'll explain soon'  
The blonde moved to the side and hobbled into the sitting room, she turned off the game and the television, Holly closed the front door and directed the visitor to the dining table and went into the kitchen, Gail following her "Don't freak out" the brunette whispered as she turned and took the blondes face in her hands "Trisha said she asked who we were after Sophie gushed about us, she just wants to understand I think"  
Gail sighed "Alright but I'm having words with that private detective"  
"I would expect nothing less" Holly said, she leaned in and gave her a kiss then released the blonde and leaned over the bench "Would you like a tea or coffee or anything?" She offered.  
"Coffee would be lovely" the stranger answered back.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

After making the coffee, the couple sat opposite Kira, the tension and silence was palpable. Gail broke it, unable to handle it and the pain in her leg "Why are you here?" She asked.  
"Well as I said...." She started.  
The blonde interrupted her "You see, the thing is, I don't believe it was just curiosity bought on by Sophie, if it was you wouldn't have used our detective to find us"  
The other woman looked down at her cup then back up at the police officer "You were there when Trina died" she stated.  
"She passed away in hospital, I found her" the blonde explained "I found Sophie alone in the building hours later, looking for her"  
Kira wiped tears from her eyes "I should have called more often" she said, more to herself.  
"Did you come here to find that out?" Holly asked "You could have gone to the police to learn this" she was a little defensive of her fiancée considering her fragile state at the moment.  
"No" the visitor said "Look...." She sighed "Can I explain a few things to you, just hear me out?"  
The couple looked at each other, silently communicating that they would give her the chance "Alright" Gail said, she gave Holly's hand, that she was holding under the table, a squeeze.  
"The reason I didn't know about...... Trina being gone was because when she was with Sophie's father, we had a falling out, I love her and Sophie but he was a drug dealing ass, I left to study in the states, we would talk from time to time, when her boyfriend was killed in a bust, I came back for a visit to see them and she was great, she had things sorted out and was working hard" she had a drink of her coffee "around the same day she was killed, I lost my cell phone and ended up getting a new one with a new number, I had sent her my number but obviously it was too late, I wasn't hiding, I just didn't know there was a problem" she took another sip "as soon as I heard, I jumped on a plane"  
"What are you intentions with Sophie?" Holly asked.  
"I could ask you two the same thing" Kira countered.  
"True" Gail agreed "Our intentions are simple, to get Sophie a safe, comfortable, stable home"  
"So you want to adopt her?" The stranger asked, the blonde could hear the fire rising in her voice.  
"Not necessarily" she said "We want what's best for Sophie, if that's you then we support that"  
Kira nodded, obviously reassured by Gail's words that they weren't planning on fighting her "I'm not sure I'm what's best for her but I would like to try" she said.  
Holly felt her lover tense up next to her "So you intend to take her back to the USA?" She asked.  
The woman across from her looked shocked "God no, I have no intentions of doing that, I have been travelling around for the last six months, I finished my law degree last year, I clerked for a few months then travelled. I was heading back here soon anyway, I have a job already lined up to start in a little over a month from now" she sighed "I was talking to the social worker this morning, I can't just take Sophie, she's been through enough, she's doing well with Trisha and with you guys visiting her. I want to do this slowly, keep things as normal as they can be for her and eventually have custody once I have a place, a job, a car and Sophie's ready for that"  
Gail breathed deeply, she knew this woman was going to do that right thing by the little girl she had come to love, but she could also feel the chance to be a mother to the girl herself slipping from her grasp as she spoke, part of her wanted to scream and rave that she belonged with them but deep down, she knew in her heart that the young woman in front of her was the best thing for Sophie and she knew she had to support that "Will you allow us to continue to be in her life?"  
Kira smiled "Of course, if it wasn't for you two, I might have already lost her and would have come back to find all this out and may never have gotten her back" she reached out and rested her hand on Gail's, tears in her eyes "that's why I needed to find you, because of you I might still have a part of my sister with me for a very long time, I would hope you would both continue to be at least aunts to her" she squeezed her hand.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

The conversation between the three women continued for a few hours, mainly getting to know each other and talking a lot about Sophie. When Gail needed more pain meds they decided to call it a day, Kira gave her blessing to them to have continued visits with Sophie anytime they wanted and promised to be in touch regularly. By the time Holly saw her out it was almost dark. She walked back in to find Gail standing leaning on the crutches watching the woman drive away "This sucks" she said not looking at her lover.  
"I know, we did know this could happen" The brunette said coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her.  
"Not that, well that does suck but what really sucks is I like her" she said.  
Holly smiled "So do I"   
Gail shuffled and turned around, the brunette moving to accommodate her "I wanna hate her but I can't" she rested her head on Holly's shoulder and sniffed "I can't" she cried into her shoulder.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Once Gail had stopped crying, she went back to the game. Holly sat with her for a while but the blonde didn't even seem to notice her presence, she gave her a kiss on the cheek and headed into her office, she really needed to work on today's reports anyway.

Gail was that into the game she hadn't noticed her fiancée had left for at least an hour. When she did, she got up to find her. She found her in her office, hunched over crime scene and body photos, writing reports. She stood watching, her leaning on her crutches. They'd been through a lot since getting back together, almost all of it had come from her, she knew that. Her PTSD, Sophie, her injury, she hated that she had put the other woman through it but she also knew that running from Holly was something she promised her she would never do again. She moved forward "Hey" she said softly.  
The brunettes head shot up, her glasses perched on the end of her nose, the blonde came to a stop next to her "Hey" Holly said looking up at her.  
Gail adjusted her glasses back up onto her nose "Can you take a break?" She asked, she tugged the brunette around and moved her good leg between her lovers.  
"Yea" Holly said as she put her hands on the blondes hips, rested her head on her stomach and sighed.  
Gail, who let go of the crutches, letting them dangle from her arms, threaded her hands into her lovers hair and tugged her head up so their eyes met. She brushed the hair from the brunettes face "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.  
"I guess" Holly said her gaze leaving the blondes.  
"Hol, talk to me" she said, her hands resting on the doctors cheeks.  
"I just....." She hesitated and sighed again "I wanted her too, I got use to the idea of us being a family" she met Gail's gaze "I guess I'm ready to be a Mom now too" she said with a sniffle.  
The blonde gave her a huge grin, gave Holly a quick kiss, she hopped back and tugged her to her feet "Follow" she said, grabbed the handles on the crutches and headed out of the room, the confused brunette trailing behind.  
She went into the sitting room and eased herself onto the couch "Sit" she said patting the seat next to her.  
Holly did as she asked and frowned at her "What....."  
Gail interrupted her "We both want have a family right?" She asked.  
The brunette nodded "I do"  
"So do I" the blonde said, she picked up Holly's hand "I think we should wait a little while, with this" she pointed to her cast "and I was thinking maybe.... " she paused "well I thought maybe we could get married first" she blushed, playing with her fiancées ring.  
The brunette couldn't help but smile at the wonderful woman next to her, she manoeuvred Gail's bad leg over her and up on the back of the couch, pushed the blonde back and laid on top of her, between her legs "I love you, you know that don't you"  
The blonde wrapped her arms around Holly "I'm getting that idea yea" she said. She ran her hands up the brunettes back, bringing them around to her face "I love you too" she said and kissed her.  
Holly pulled back "Do you really want to get married first?"   
Gail smiled up at her "Yea I do, you are the best thing that has happened to me and I want to do some of this right" her hands slid from her lovers face down to the buttons on her shirt "We'll do our announcement slash engagement party after we come back from New York then maybe talk to our parents" she started tugging the buttons open "and set a date" she said and kissed the brunettes neck.  
Holly groaned "I like that idea"  
The blonde reached the bottom button and pulled open her shirt "I was hoping you would"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"So how was dinner with Sophie?" Janine asked Gail.  
It was almost the end of her Friday therapy appointment, she'd had one on Wednesday with Holly and had been asked to come back for another one, the brunette, who had been unable to come due to a crime scene, had dropped her off with a promise to pick her up once when her appointment was done.  
The blonde smiled "It was good, we talked about Kira and that she's happy she has two new aunts now"  
"How are you coping? I know you had your heart set on being a mother to her"  
Gail sighed, her smile turning sad "I did but as I told Holly, I just had a feeling it wasn't going to happen"  
"Have you and Holly talked about other options yet?" Janine asked.  
Some brightness returned to he officers smile "We have, with my leg and everything that's happened lately, we both need things to stabilise before crossing that bridge, once we get married we might do it then"  
"Have you set a date?"  
"Not yet but we're having an engagement party the Saturday after we get back from New York" Gail sighed "I would just love to just get married next week, when we're away but I know Holly wants the whole wedding thing I heard her talking to her Mom about it the other night, she doesn't want anything huge but does want it to be special"  
"What about you?"  
"I want her to be happy so as long as she's happy, so am I"

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Gail rolled the wheelchair out into the waiting room to find Oliver sitting there waiting "Your chariot awaits my dear" he said standing.  
The blonde scratched the scar on the back of her head, where Holly had taken the stitches out before they had dinner with Sophie, she'd refused to go to the doctors when she had the brunette there and she was more than qualified to handle it. Holly didn't argue just removed the stitches and made sure the wound looked okay "Where's Holly?" She asked.  
"She got caught up at a crime scene, I offered to pick you up and take you to her"  
She shrugged and wheeled past him "she's got my crutches" she explained.  
Oliver followed her out "I got them from the car, you wanna come to 15 for a bit, I need to pick up some evidence for the lab"  
Gail sighed dramatically with a slight smile "I guess I could"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Officer Peck" Frank said as she walked in the bullpen using her crutches, trailing behind Oliver "Your a little more mobile than last time I saw you"  
"Only when I have the energy" she hobbled in and sat at what was normally her desk.  
Chris, who was on permanent desk duty came out from the front desk "You want a coffee?" He offered.  
Gail looked over at him "Nah, headed down the morgue" she said, then she had an idea "I'll check with Holly first but maybe a drink at the Penny later" as much as they annoyed her, she missed her friends.  
Her ex-roommates face lit up "I'll let the others know" he said and headed back to the front desk.  
Traci had also seen her come in and made her way over "So when are you back?"  
"Not at least until I get out of this cast and then it will only be desk duty for another 3-4 weeks, my appointments the Monday after we get back from New York" the blonde explained.  
"How's Holly doing?" The detective asked sitting on the desk so everyone couldn't hear the conversation.  
"She's okay, she's talking about things more, she comes to therapy with me sometimes so it helps"  
"That's great, maybe I should come, they can tell me how to deal with your brother"   
Gail smiled "Joys of dating a Peck"  
"Yea but Holly's a glutton for punishment, she's gonna marry one" Traci pointed out.  
"So will you" the blonde said.  
"We'll see" the detective said shaking her head and getting up "I need to get back to it"  
"I'd put money on it" Gail added as she walked away.  
Oliver reappeared with a box of evidence "Put money on what?"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Gail hobbled into the morgue on her crutches, they had put the wheelchair in the SUV before coming in. They went to Holly's office, when she wasn't there, they headed for the autopsy room, Oliver stood in he door way "Hey Doc" he said, the brunette just continued working "Holly" she didn't respond. The blonde came to the door and smiled "Doc" the older man said again.  
Gail grinned "Hey you" she said softly and Holly's head turned, looking towards the door.  
Oliver shot his friend a look, she just smiled and shrugged in return.  
She stopped her voice recorder "Hey" she said pulling off her gloves "I'll take that" she said as she took the box and put it on a nearby desk "thank you for picking Gail up" she said with a smile.  
"Anytime, you know she's one of my favourites" he patted the blondes shoulder "I'll see you soon" he said, gave the younger officer a kiss on the cheek and left.  
Gail hobbled over and stopped in front of the brunette "Hi" she said, she let the crutches dangle and took her face in her hands, she gave her a soft slow kiss.  
Holly pulled back, resting her head on the blondes "Hi" she said softly "I'm sorry I couldn't be there"  
"It's okay" Gail said "I went to 15 with Oliver and I was thinking, maybe we could make an appearance at the Penny tonight" The brunette pulled back, an eyebrow arched as Gail's hands slipped to her shoulders to steady herself "I promise no rough housing and I won't even drink, I value my sleep too much and if I drink, no pain meds" she looked at the floor "I just wanna hang out and feel slightly normal"  
Holly kissed her forehead and tugged her head up "We can go if you want, my only requirement is we take your chair because using crutches in a crowded pub is asking for trouble"  
"Fair enough, we can get a ride if you want to have a drink" the blonde offered.  
"I'll think about it" she said and kissed her again "right now I need to get this done" she said and pulled away.  
"What's this guys story?" Gail asked, coming over to the body.

 

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"You came" Chloe said excitedly as Gail rolled up to the table while Holly was at the bar getting drinks, the brunette had decided to drive, as her fiancée couldn't drink neither would she.   
The blonde gave the rookie a look then looked to her boyfriend, Dov shrugged and mimed drinking to her, Chloe saw it and hit his shoulder "Yea I figured I had denied you my presence long enough"   
"And we've been devastated" Andy said sarcastically, picking up her drink.  
Gail rolled her eyes, usually she would have said more but in the spirit of becoming a better person she turned to Chris "How you doing Diaz?" She asked.  
He smiled at her "Better, good days and bad days you know, being able to talk to people like Matt who have worked the program make it easier"  
Holly sat down next to Gail, placing a can of Diet Coke and a glass with ice in front of her. Herself with a glass of lemon squash "Matt will be back next Friday" the brunette said as the blonde poured her drink.  
"Cool" he said "So how are things with you guys?" He asked, he was also avoiding alcohol and took a drink of his coke.  
Gail looked at Holly and picked up her hand "Good, dealing with some stuff with my accident and that but we're solid" she said.  
"I'm glad your happy" he said.  
"I am" the blonde said looking at the doctor, who had drifted into conversation with Oliver and Celery.  
"Who let you out of the house?" Her brothers voice came from behind her.  
"The good doctor here said I could" she said and stuck her tongue out at him.  
As Steve went to grab the wheelchair, Holly's hand dropped Gail's and landed on his "No" she said "I want her in one piece for our trip" the brunette added.  
"She's not in one piece now" he pointed out, pushing Holly.  
Gail's eyes went wide and she shook her head at him "Really and I didn't already know that, I didn't discuss that with you at all" the brunette snapped.  
"Go" the blonde mouthed.  
"Holly....." He said his tone guilty.  
The brunette sighed, shook her head and turned back to her conversation.  
"What was that about?" He whispered to his sister, squatting down to try and keep the conversation between them.  
Gail smacked him on the arm "I promised no roughhousing and we've had a rough couple of days" she explained quietly.  
"Sorry" he said sincerely as he stood up.  
Chris got up, sensing they needed a second "have my seat, I'm gonna play darts" he said moving away.  
Steve sat down "everything okay?" He asked.  
"Sophie's Aunt turned up, she wants her" the blonde said low enough that no one else could hear, unconsciously her hand sought out her lovers again, linking their fingers.  
"I'm sorry" he said "I know you guys were hoping"  
Gail shrugged and picked up her drink "wasn't meant to be, she wants us to be her aunties so I guess at least we can keep an eye on her"  
"How does her actual aunt feel about that?" Steve asked drinking his beer.  
"Her idea" the blonde said "She wants us to stay around"  
"You two okay with that?" He asked.  
Gail nodded "We're just happy we will still get to see her"

 

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A couple of hours later, after Dov had pulled out the trivia app on his phone, Andy and Sam had gone home, so had Steve and Traci as they needed to pick up Leo. Oliver and Celery were playing pool so it left, Chris, Chloe, Dov, Gail and Holly.  
The doctor was currently beating the rookies, something Gail was enjoying thoroughly "Alright" Dov said "Three questions to go, Chloe you need to get at least two to get in a tie break with Holly"  
Gail's hand slid from the brunettes to her leg and then across the seam of her jeans on her inner thigh, she leaned over to whisper in her fiancées ear "Baby you win this and I will so make it worth your while"  
Holly raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a lopsided smile "Oh really?" She asked "and how will you do that?"  
The blonde leaned in again "when we get home I will lick and suck you until you can't take it anymore"  
The brunettes eyes dilated and Gail felt her shiver in response "You're a tease"   
"I learned from you baby" she said and kissed her cheek.  
"Okay first question" Dov said he tapped the button on his phone "Oh so not fair" he whined "How many bones in an adult human body?" He asked.  
"206" Holly said with a smile "fun fact, a quarter of them are in your feet and the smallest is in your ear"  
The blonde just grinned at her, enjoying watching her love being her nerdy self with her friends and getting a kick out of the fact that she was going to beat them.  
"I don't even need to check that answer" he mumbled "alright next one" he pushed the button "What Academy Award winning Best Picture from 2002 had the name of a city as its title?"  
Holly frowned, she was never good with movies she didn't absolutely love, it was information she didn't need to retain.  
Chloe's eyes lit up "Chicago?" She said more a question than an answer.  
Dov checked "Yes" he said giving her a high five.  
"Okay last question for a win or to go to a tie breaker and who gets drinks paid for on our next night out" they'd agreed to this as only Dov and Chloe had been drinking "Who did the voice of E.T. in E.T. the extra terrestrial?"  
Chloe squealed "Debra Winger" she said triumphantly.  
Holly interrupted her celebration "Actually you'll probably find that she did the voice on set and some of her voice work did make it into the finished product but the main voice was done by a woman named Pat Welsh, so the true answer is Debra Winger and Pat Welsh" Gail looked at her, shocked "What can I say I've loved that movie since I was a kid"  
The blonde grinned at her "I love you" she said and gave her a kiss.  
"She's right" Dov said looking up from the phone.  
"She wins" Chris said showing him the card with the points on it.  
"You won Baby" Gail said.  
"I know" Holly answered, she moved forward and gave the blonde a kiss then stood "As fun as this was we need to get going" she moved around behind Gail's wheelchair.  
"Nice to have some competition" Chloe said "Owww" she said, obviously Dov had kicked her, she hit him back.  
They said a quick good byes to them then to Oliver and Celery as well and left to head home.

 

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"You kicked ass tonight" Gail said coming up behind Holly in the kitchen, who was making them a cup of tea before they headed to bed, she let the crutches go and put her arms around the brunette.  
Holly smiled, one arm resting on the blondes the other going to the back of Gail's head as her fiancées lips began to kiss her neck "I could have done better, I think Dov was cheating" she tilted her head, allowing the blonde better access.  
Gail moved her hands off her waist and tugged her sweater up, slipping one of her hands inside "Wouldn't surprise me" she murmured into her neck.  
As the blondes hand reached her lace covered breast Holly moaned "God" she muttered her knees shaking a bit. Gail's other hand made quick work of the brunettes belt and the button of her jeans, as she pulled the zipper down, the crutch attached to her right arm clattered to the ground, reminding Holly of her lovers physical state. She grabbed her hand before it found its way into her underwear "Maybe we should move this upstairs" she suggested, lacing her fingers with Gail's to better control her hand.  
"Really?" The blonde said into her neck as she squeezed the lace covered breast in her hand. In her lusty haze Gail tried to shift her weight onto her bad leg, she yelped in pain and grabbed at Holly for support, the brunette held onto her as best she could, considering their current position.  
"You okay?" Holly asked after giving her a minute to recover.  
Gail, whose head was now resting on the brunettes shoulder, breathing deeply to get the pain to subside "Yea" she said "point taken"  
Holly turned in her arms "Let's go to bed" she suggested, grabbed the dropped crutch and helped her upstairs.

 

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Gail was already in bed when Holly made her way out of the bathroom, she turned off the light and moved over to the bed. The blonde who dressed in a tank top and sleep shorts, was on her back with her leg on a pillow, held her hand out to the brunette, when she took it, she tugged on it and pulled her down to straddle her hips.  
"Gail" Holly said as she took up both of her lovers hands and linked their fingers. Gail sat up and kissed her, determined to continue what she had started in the kitchen, the brunette kissed her back for a few seconds then used their joined hands to push the blonde back onto her the bed. Gail grinned up at her "Honey, I still think what your wanting is still a little ambitious" Holly said.  
"Baby" the blonde said freeing her hands, she put them on the brunettes thighs, one hand slid up her inner thigh and disappeared into her sleep shorts and brushed against her bare centre "Then why aren't you wearing underwear?" She asked as her fingers barely touching her making her lover shudder. She moved her hand from the shorts and grabbed the bottom of the brunettes T-shirt, tugged it over her head and tossed it off the bed, Holly went with it, it had been a while for her, when they'd made love since the accident, she had given and not let Gail give in return, too worried that her fiancée would hurt herself. But in the turned on state she was in, thanks to the blondes actions in the kitchen, she was more than happy not to put up a fight "Gail" she moaned as the officers hands slid down her body, stopping at her bare breasts, teasing and massaging them, teasing her nipples till they were hard and sensitive.   
Holly's hips moved involuntarily against the woman under her, trying to get some relief, Gail chuckled "You okay there baby?" She asked.  
"I need you" the brunette whimpered.  
The blonde tugged on the waistband of the sleep shorts obstructing her intentions "Can we lose these?" Holly quickly got up rid herself of the rest of her clothing, she went to moved to the other side of the bed until Gail patted her hip, indicating she wanted her back on top of her. Once the naked brunette was back over her, the blonde didn't hesitate. Her hands moved straight to her lovers inner thighs, one hand bracing her, the fingers on the other hands slipping into her wet folds, finding her clit and gently circling the bundle of nerves. Holly's thighs twitched and she moaned, the noise deep in her chest.  
"Your so wet baby" Gail mumbled as she half sat up, as she wrapped her lips around one of the dusky nipples in front of her, she moved her fingers from the brunettes clit and slipped two fingers inside her, she thrust a slowly into her. She could already feel her fiancée was close, she released the nipple with a slight pop "you almost there already?" She asked looking up at Holly. The brunette looked down at her, she was biting her lip, she nodded answering the question. Gail tugged her down into a hard passionate kiss as she did she increased her thrusts, adding another finger and brushing her thumb against her clit.  
"Gail" Holly called out breaking the kiss her eyes still closed, her hips thrusting to meet the blondes fingers, she had her lovers shoulders in a vice grip holding her against her.  
"Cum for me" Gail said looking up at her "look at me" she said.  
As the brunettes eyes opened, her climax hit, her body shaking and shuddering against her lover, she moaned the blondes name out as she shook against her, riding out the wave of pleasure. Gail didn't stop moving until she slumped against her, when she did, she laid them both down, her fingers still inside Holly and her other arm around her, holding her in place.  
They laid, both breathing hard for a bit until Gail broke the silence "Better?" She asked.  
"Yes" the brunette said, giving the woman under her a smile.  
The blonde wiggled her fingers making Holly gasp "Ready for more?"  
"Gail" the doctor moaned as the fingers moved slowly again, fanning the flames.  
The blonde slipped her fingers free "I wanna taste you" she said tugging on the brunettes hips.  
Holly shifted upwards "Are you sure?" She asked, now astride Gail's chest.  
"I'm hungry for you baby, I have been for ages, I can't lay between your legs so your just gonna have to straddle my face" she said plainly and again tugged on her hips.  
After shuddering at her fiancées words, the brunette moved up and rested her hands on the wall, her sex over the blondes face. Gail didn't hesitate the second she was in position she ran her tongue from her lovers pussy to her clit "Fuck" Holly growled as she shuddered at the action.  
The blonde looped one hand around the brunettes thigh, holding her in place, the other grabbed her ass, kneading the flesh. She knew from the fact she was still trembling that the woman above her wasn't going to last, she quickly found her clit, licking and teasing it with her tongue "Gail" the brunette muttered above her, one of her hands coming off the wall and burying in her hair, she tugged on it pulling her head back so she could see her "I need...." She panted, she needed something else from her lover, her lust riddled brain not letting her process what it was.  
The blonde relaxed her hands, still holding her thigh with one, she released her backside and reached out, Holly moved her hand from the wall and took the offered hand, linking their fingers "You ready?" Gail asked, brushing her thumb over the brunettes hand, looking up at her between her legs. Holly nodded, she let go of the blondes hair, that hand again being used to brace herself on the wall in front of her. Gail slid her tongue back into the wet folds, tasting the brunette, she would never have enough of doing this to her future wife, she loved giving her pleasure and the way she tasted. Holly's hips started moving so the blonde moved lower dipping her tongue inside her, the woman above her moaned and squeezed their joined hands. Gail released her thigh, she slid her hand underneath the brunette and slid two fingers inside her as she went back to teasing her clit with her tongue, she slowly thrust in and out as her tongue made circles around the bundle of nerves. The brunettes hips were moving in time with the blondes thrusts into her wet core. As they moved together Holly's movement became more and more desperate, her breath coming in short bursts "Baby" she panted "I'm almost......" She gasped " I'm gonna cum"  
Gail grinned against her, she took her clit between her lips and sucked on it hard knowing it would push her over and heighten her climax.  
"Fuck, GAIL" the brunette shouted as her orgasm hit, her back arching and body trembling hard. Gail kept sucking on her, Holly's juices dripping down her hand. The doctor shook and shuddered through her orgasm but the blonde didn't let up, she kept the pressure on the bundle of nerves and the pace of her thrusts until Holly came undone again "I can't" she gasped as was coming down. Gail released her clit and lapped at the wetness "Gail" she scolded, too sensitive to be touched anymore. The blonde smirked and slipped her fingers free, causing the brunette to shudder again.  
Holly collapsed next to her on the bed, still panting from the exertion. She reached over and wrapped her arm around the grinning blonde "Mmmmmmm" she hummed in contentment.  
Gail took her hand and linked their fingers, she turned her head and gave the brunette a kiss, Holly tasting herself on the blondes lips "Feeling good?" The slightly smug police officer asked.  
"Great" the brunette mumbled as she nuzzled into her neck "Don't be smug" she said after seeing the look on her face.  
Gail kissed Holly on the head "Did you enjoy your prize?"  
"I did" the brunette said sleepily "If this is what I get for winning I'll have to beat them at trivia more often"  
The blonde let out a chuckle and tugged her fiancée closer.

 

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"Gail" Holly called from the bottom of the stairs, they'd had a fairly quiet week since the night at the Penny. The blonde had seen her therapist twice, with instructions to call at anytime if she had any issues while they were away. Holly had been busy, she'd ended up leaving Gail at home alone most of the time, of course sending her friends around to keep an eye on her, and going to work as Davidson had been suspended for a week without pay for not attending the scene when he was on call. The brunette was happy he was punished for his actions but it meant a very hard week for her. She was thankful Gail had arranged the trip as she really needed the break. Matt had arrived back with a truck full of his belongings Thursday night, thankfully most of his things had gone into storage until he can find somewhere to live. They were due to leave for the airport to book in and get through customs, both women had finished packing the night before but Gail had a bad night and had been very slow moving since waking. Holly gave up calling and headed upstairs "Gail?" She called as she reached the second floor.  
"Yea" the blonde called back tiredly.  
The brunette walked in the bedroom, finding Gail sitting on the bed, sweaty, looking exhausted "You okay Hun?" She asked from the doorway.  
The officer sighed "Yea, just tired" she got up off the bed and hobbled to Holly, stopping in front of her, the brunette put her hands on Gail's hips "Let's get outta here" she said resting her head on her lovers chest.  
Holly kissed the top of her head "New York here we come"

 

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A/N: I rewatched the scene where they say Sophie's mothers name and I couldn't decipher if it was Gina or Trina so I went with Trina. Let me know what you think about how I handled the Sophie situation.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

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I'm sorry for the posting and updating delays. Thankfully mums back is getting better, she has a herniated L3 disc. They're not doing anything surgically just yet, the pain should calm down on its own, she just needs to not push it. So now I'm not as busy I'm hoping my updates won't be so long in coming. With Christmas on its way that may be wishful thinking but I'll do my best to update as quickly as I can. Thanks for everybody's support and to all those I didn't get to when I answered some reviews the other week, every word I get from readers is very appreciated. Please read and review. Oh and feel free to nag me on Tumblr for updates user is bec77broo.

Thanks again,  
Bec. 

 

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Disclaimer - I only own the characters I create and do not profit from this.

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Chapter Fifteen

 

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"I noticed something last night" Gail said to Holly, she was currently sitting in an airport wheelchair waiting to board their flight to New York.  
The brunette who was sitting in a chair next to her looked up from the new forensic journal she had picked up for the flight "What's that Hun?" She asked, she put the book in her bag as their flight would be boarding shortly anyway.  
"My knee hurts" the blonde said "I didn't notice it before, well I did but the pain in my leg is worse "  
Holly took Gail's hand linking their fingers "I get it, sometimes injuries can be missed due to other pain being too dominant" the brunette thought for a beat then asked "what kind of pain is it?"  
"Just aches, I thought it might just be because I'm not using it"  
"Could be, thing is you might have torn a ligament, we'll get the orthopaedic surgeon to check it next week" she kissed the blondes hand.  
Gail sighed "I hadn't planned on me having a broken leg for this trip"  
Holly got off her chair and squatted in front of the wheelchair "I know" she said, taking both her hands "It doesn't matter though, we get to have some time, without anyone else, without work or our nosey friends, just you and me"  
The blonde smiled a little "And your parents" she added "They're picking us up at the airport, we're spending the afternoon and then having dinner with them before they drop us off at the Hotel"  
The brunette rolled her eyes "You know what I mean smart ass" she stood up giving her fiancée a kiss on the way back up.  
One of the flight attendants came forward "We're ready to board, all business class passengers, please make your way to the front"  
"That's us" the blonde said, she picked up the backpack next to her, sitting it on her lap.  
"Business class? it's only like and hour and a half flight at most, usually an hour"  
"I know" Gail said moving to the boarding area "one I wanted to spoil you and two I need the leg room"  
Holly smiled at her back, she grabbed her bag, the blondes crutches and caught up with her.

 

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Once they were seated on the flight, Holly put their carry on bags and Gail's crutches in the overhead compartments and sat down, she looked over at the blonde who was looking a little off colour "You okay?" She asked.  
Gail looked over at her "I'm good" she said and swallowed stiffly.  
"I didn't think you were a nervous flyer" the brunette said reaching out and taking her hand, lacing their fingers.  
"I'm not.... I don't..." She breathed out shakily.  
Holly suddenly understood what was going on. She unbuckled her belt and did the same to Gail. "Deep breaths" she said, thankfully they were seated in the front row, the brunette squatted down in front of her, being careful of her leg, the blonde released her hand and held onto the arm rest with a vice grip "You gotta calm down Hun, deep breaths, your okay, I'm here" she doesn't have any idea what set her fiancées panic attack off but if she didn't calm down they'd be getting off the plane and heading home.  
"I'm sorry you....." The flight attendant stopped when she saw the state Gail was in "Can I do anything to help?" She asked resting her hand on Holly's back.  
The brunette looked up "Just some juice" she asked, trying to get her to leave them "I'm sorry" she said.  
"It's okay" she said "we haven't finished boarding yet so you have some time" she left.  
Gail reached out with both hands and grabbed of Holly's arms "I'm sorry" she leaned forward, and pulled the brunette into her "I don't know...." She started to cry.  
"Shhhhhh, it's okay" Holly whispered and put her arms around her as best she could just holding her. She gave her a minute or two then pulled back, knowing she only had a few minutes before she would have to be seated "What happened?" Gail sniffed, the flight attendant returned with the juice and some tissues "thank you" the brunette said as she left them to it, she handed the tissues to the blonde and put the bottle of juice on her seat. Gail blew her nose and cleaned herself up "Feeling better?" Holly asked.  
The blonde nodded "I'm sorry, when I put my belt on..... something clicked"  
"Please... Never ever be sorry, Janine said this can happen, random things can set you off, it wasn't bad" she moved her hands to her loves face "Do you remember anything?"  
Gail lessened the hold on her arms, she glanced over Holly's shoulder, the flight attendant was checking seat belts and closing the overhead compartments "You should get in your seat baby" she said and kissed her, the brunette went to protest but the blonde stopped her "I'm okay, I'll explain once we're in the air"  
"Gail" Holly glanced down the plane "Just tell me"  
She sighed "Please"   
The brunette pulled a face, showing she wasn't happy, as she got up she gave her girlfriend a kiss and sat next to her, she watched her as she sat and did up her belt. Gail did up her own, flinching slightly with the click of the metal on metal click. The blonde looked at her, she reached out and took her hand, linking their fingers "Sure you're okay?" She asked handing her the juice.  
Gail gave her hand a squeeze and leaned her head back against the seat "I'm okay, I'm sorry I...."  
"Please don't be sorry, you don't ever have to apologise for this" Holly said, she rubbed her thumb on the back of the the other woman's hand.  
The flight attendant started doing the safety talk so the couple went quiet for a while, Gail just holding tightly onto her fiancées hand.

 

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"I was in the basement" Gail said softly, a little while after the aircraft levelled out. Holly put the journal she was reading away, she was still holding her hand from before, she put her other hand on it and turned her attention to her, she didn't speak, just let her lover talk "I was in the basement..." She said again "he had me drugged most of the time but I was strapped to the table, I remember the click of the straps when he undid them and..... did them up" she took a shaky breath, looking away from the brunette "when I did up the belt, the click just...."  
"Set something off" Holly finished for her.  
"Yea" the blonde said looking up at her.  
"And here I thought I'd spend the entire flight trying to convince you that joining the mile high club is a bad idea" the brunette said, changing the subject, knowing it was what Gail really needed.  
The blonde smiled at her "I personally think it's a great idea" she glanced around "we need a blanket though because those bathrooms are too small"  
"Not happening" Holly said sternly.  
"You owe me some public fun" Gail said pouting.  
"Yes I do but after what happened before, if you haven't noticed, that flight attendant has been keeping an eye on us fairly constantly since we took off, I don't think it's going to happen this time"   
The blonde looked around and saw what her fiancée was talking about, the blonde woman was glancing their way every thirty seconds or so "What does she think I'm crazy or something?" She said defensively.  
"if you were dealing with someone who had a panic attack a few years ago wouldn't you have kept an eye on them?" Holly asked.  
The blonde relaxed "yea" she agreed "I would have been so oblivious to their problem too and made sure they knew I was watching"  
"Yes you would" the brunette said with a chuckle "You would have told them not to do it again because dealing with crazy people makes your job harder"  
Gail smirked knowing she was right "yea that's true" she agreed reluctantly.  
"You are about as subtle as a brick my love" Holly said and kissed her hand "but it is one of the reasons I love you"  
"You're a sap Lunchbox" the blonde said "but I love you too"  
"Maybe next time we'll join the mile high club" the brunette said "After your healed of course" she added making sure Gail understood it wasn't going to happen on their flight home.  
The blonde just grinned at her and tugged her into an innocent kiss.

 

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The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful and they landed in New York without any hassles. They were allowed off first due to Gail's impairment and they had a wheelchair waiting for her. They came out to be greeted by Holly's parents, the brunette hugged her mother, then her father "It's good to see you both" Wendy said "How are you feeling?" She asked Gail.  
"Sore" the blonde said honestly, sounding tired.  
"Well how about...." The older woman trailed off "What is that?" She said pointing to her daughters left hand.  
Holly lifted her hand up "It's an engagement ring, Mom, I told you about it, we talked about weddings"  
"I think I would remember my daughter being engaged, congratulations" she said happily to them both.  
The brunette frowned, it is entirely possible she had told her mother and she had not been really listening but then when she'd had that conversation with her she'd been rather stressed about work and her fiancée so it was also possible the actual telling had slipped her mind, she shook off the confusion "thank you" she said and looked down at the blonde.  
"so who asked who?" Holly's father asked as he took control of the wheelchair and Wendy helped the brunette with their carry on luggage and the crutches.  
"Gail asked me, after she got run over" the doctor explained.  
Jack looked at his daughter "Really?" He asked with a chuckle.  
"I walked in, she's as high as a kite, with a broken leg, slight concussion and a gash on her head, this is after she sent a colleague of hers to pick me up who had her blood all over him. So after that heart attack I walk in her hospital room and she says she's okay then just said 'Marry me'"  
"She flipped out didn't she?" Jack asked Gail as they got into the elevator.  
"I did not" Holly interjected before the blonde could speak.  
"She did" the officer answered.  
"I did not"  
"You so did, you told my mother very politely to get out and told me off" Gail said "I was on pain meds but I still remember it"  
They were all in the lift looking at Holly, she gave in "Fine I did, but I accepted right after"  
The blonde reached out and took her hand, kissing it "Yes you did"

 

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They were having dinner with Holly's parents, they'd decided it was easier to eat at the hotel they were staying at so Gail wouldn't have to travel very far afterwards, the brunettes father had loaned her his car to use while they were there, when the blonde had originally arranged it all, she didn't hire a car as she'd relied on the fact that she'd be able to walk to public transport and around the city. After ordering Wendy turned to the couple "So have you two set a date yet?"  
Holly looked to Gail, who took her hand and nodded "Not yet, we're having an engagement party, well kind of an announcement party because we haven't really told many people, we were gonna talk about it and set it after then" she explained "Matt is organising it at his new restaurant for the Saturday after we get back"  
"So two weeks from tomorrow?" Her mother asked.  
"Yea if that's okay?" Gail asked.  
The older woman smiled at her now future daughter in law "Of course, we'll be there, I'll clear the week with the university, I'm down to my last 6 weeks so they already have my replacement working so it won't be an issue"  
"So when are you back?" Holly asked.  
"Last week of November" her father said "Your moms new position doesn't start until next year" he explained.  
The conversation continued solidly, they talked about a lot, the accident and catching the killer, they found out it had made the American national news, even the fact that a police officer had been run over in the process. Thankfully no names had been released. They had talked well into the night, even moved into the hotel lounge, to be more comfortable.  
It was heading towards midnight and Gail was asleep on Holly's shoulder, her leg up on another chair "How is she going?" Her mother asked her "You said she's back in therapy"  
"She's going okay, still having nightmares and panic attacks, meds are helping" she looked at the blonde, who was softly snoring "She's a lot more open with me though, she's very dedicated to making us work" she kissed her forehead.  
"We can see that" Jack reassured her "She loves you very much"  
Holly smiled, glad they could see what she saw, that Gail wasn't the cold, uncaring person her 'friends' saw her as "I love her too, probably too much"  
"No such thing" her mother said "You ready for all this, marriage I mean?" She asked.  
"Marriage, kids, a house in the suburbs" Holly confirmed "I know I said only I year ago I don't think I'll ever be ready but meeting Gail changed that"  
"Same thing happened to me when I met your mom and you kids" Jack said, he smiled at Wendy and reached out and took the woman he had always considered his daughter's hand "Some people just completely change your life" he said.  
Gail yawned "You three are just too sweet" she said not opening her eyes "You're giving me a toothache"  
Holly tickled her ribs slightly, making the blonde smile, her head still resting on the brunettes shoulder and her eyes closed, Holly kissed her head again "We should get you to bed" she said.  
"Mmmm" Gail mumbled.  
Jack stood "Come on Officer Smart Ass, time for bed"  
"Officer Smart Ass?" the blonde asked opening her eyes and looking up at him as he came to stand in front of her "I like it, Old Man" she added smiling up at him.  
"Old man, you've spent too much time with my son" he said holding out his hand to help her to her feet.  
"Now that I can agree with, he's a wiseass loser" Gail said as she was pulled up "And now he's a permanent fixture in our home"  
"For the time being" Holly corrected as she handed her the crutches.  
"Hopefully" the blonde added.

 

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After spending a day, just relaxing pretty much staying in bed the whole time, they spent Sunday doing some things Gail had thought Holly would enjoy, they had been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art that morning and were currently walking around the American Museum of Natural History. Well the brunette was walking and her girlfriend was rolling around in a wheelchair they had hired "You know we can do some things you want to do" Holly said as they were looking at one of the dinosaur skeletons.  
"We are, I wanted to come here too" Gail answered a little distracted as she was reading about the dinosaur on the plaque in front of it.  
"Really?" The brunette asked, eyebrow raised.  
The blonde looked up, hearing the doubt in her fiancees voice "Yea" she said and rolled over to her "Hol, I really did wanna come here, I wanna learn this sorta stuff" she said looking down at the map on her lap "We should go to the planetarium, another show will start soon"   
She started to move in that direction when Holly grabbed the handle of the chair, stopping her "Wait a minute honey" she said and turned her around "What was that about?"  
"What?" the blonde said with a slight blush, not really meeting her eyes.  
"I'm getting the idea that you're...." she hesitated not really wanting to even say it "that you don't think you know as much as you should" she said instead, realising as it came out it didn't really make much sense "I mean that you think you need to learn more" she tried again.  
Gail couldn't help but smile at her lover, she was trying to ask her if she thought she was dumb without actually saying it and she found it cute "You can ask me, do I think I'm dumb?"  
"Gail" Holly said squatting in front of her, her head tilted to the side.  
"Sometimes I do" the brunette went to speak but her girlfriend put her hand up, stopping her "When our kids or maybe even Sophie come to us and need help with their homework, I don't want to have to say, you'll have to wait until your mom or Holly gets home, I want to be able to help them" Gail explained "I don't want to be the...."  
"You are not nor have you ever been dumb, Gail Peck" Holly said resting her hands on the blondes cheeks "You speak three languages and can also speak in ASL" she stood up and kissed her "You have instinct and you care more than anyone I've ever met. Anything else, you can google"  
Gail smiled up at her, she grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her back down and into another kiss, this time kissing her slowly "I love you" the blonde said as she put her head on the brunettes.  
"I love you too" Holly said, she kissed her again and stood back up, pulling away "Let's go before they start the next planetary show without us" she said moving behind her lover and pushing the wheelchair.

 

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"So what do you want to do today?" Jack asked Gail as he sat on the couch in their hotel room.  
Holly had gone to the university to meet her mothers as she had asked her to speak to a class she was teaching then to have lunch with her and asked her dad to keep an eye on her fiancee.  
"You don't need to look after me you know, I spent most of last week on my own" Gail thought about it for a second "Well aside from when she sent my friends over"  
"She feels bad leaving you alone in a city you don't know" he explained.  
The blonde rolled her eyes and hobbled over and sat next to him on the couch "We've spent one day resting and the last three days seeing sights. I've enjoyed every second of it, the museums, the 9/11 memorial, the statue of liberty, the empire state building and we even went to two plays. I really just need a day here" she winced as she lifted her leg to rest it on the coffee table.  
Jack smiled at her "Say no more, so do we order food and some movies?"  
"Well" Gail said "Do you play poker?"

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"Hey" Holly's mother said as her daughter walked into the lecture hall.  
The brunette sat her laptop on Wendy's desk "You should have mentioned this before we left, I would have had more of the pictures of the scenes, they're on my hard drive at home. I called the detective on the case, luckily she's a friend of ours and she emailed some through this morning" Holly started unpacking her computer.  
"Good morning to you too, grumpy" the older woman said as she sorted through the papers "bad night?"  
"No actually, she hasn't had a nightmare or a panic attack since we've been here" the brunette said as she turned the machine on.  
"That's great but I was asking if you had a bad night, not Gail" her mother said, she handed Holly a large travel mug "Coffee" she said.  
"Your a life saver" the brunette said appreciatively "I don't think I've had a solid nights sleep since Oliver turned up and took me to see her at the hospital" she said leaning against the bench.  
"I was like that after your father had his accident, every time I fell asleep I thought I heard a knock at the door and it was the police telling me about the car accident" her mother said "the fear will fade"  
"Will it though?" The brunette asked "She's off until after Monday then she's on desk duty until she's declared fit, some nights I hope she's not but I know that will kill her, she loves her job" Holly looked at her mom "it's not like dad had a dangerous job, self employed architecture doesn't really have a high mortality rate"  
Wendy ignored the comment "Does she know how you feel?"  
"Yea, we've talked about it a lot, she gets it" Holly looked at her watch "what times the class?"  
"Not for half and hour, what do you mean, she gets it?" Her mother asked not letting her change the subject.  
"After she was hurt we talked about it then I kinda disappeared on her for a few hours, I left her with Matt and went for a drive then had a few drinks at a bar" she looked at the older woman, who was just watching her, letting her talk "Steve, her brother found me and we talked, she came in and heard me talking so she knows how I feel about it all, she promises to try and stay safe"  
Wendy nodded, she knows that no matter what Gail says it's possible that other factors might lead to her getting hurt or worse but knows better than to point that out to her already worried daughter "That's good" she said deciding to leave the subject alone.  
"So what exactly do you want me to talk about?" Holly asked hoping her mother would now let her change the conversation.  
"Well, the class is graduate level criminology and we're currently reviewing the study of crime scenes and how much information you can get from them and I thought with the scenes as big as the ones you handled with this case it was a great opportunity for them to get an insight of how to do it. Most of these students are going into your type of work so they'll all get something from it" Wendy explained "Thank you for this, you know yourself, you don't get to speak to many forensic pathologist who have help solved a serial murder case when your still in school"  
The brunette smiled at her mother "I don't mind, I like teaching people who are willing to learn"

 

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"Well you've cleaned me out" Jack said putting his cards down.  
Gail smirked at him "Blame my brother, he taught me how to play when I was a kid and would 'reluctantly' let me play against his friends and we would clean them out" she said picking up the cards and shuffling them. The blonde sat them down and picked up the money, counted out what she'd put in and handed him back his money.  
"No that's yours" he said pushing her hand back.  
"I can't take your money, if Holly finds out I'll be sleeping on the couch when we get home" she put the money down in front of him "There is something I wanted to ask you though" she said.  
He took the money and put it back in his wallet, he watched the younger woman for a few seconds, she looked nervous "Is something wrong?" He asked.  
Gail looked panicked for half a second "No, no nothing's wrong" her hands were fidgeting as they often did when she was nervous "I know I'm kinda doing this backwards, well Holly and I seem to do everything backwards but...." She paused and took a breath "I wanted to ask you for your permission to marry Holly" she said quietly, her face flushing bright red.  
Jack just smiled at her "You already have it" he said "Thank you for asking though"  
The blonde breathed out a sigh of relief "Holly doesn't know that I had planned on asking you, I just figured it was the right thing to do"  
"Andrew never asked" he said.  
Gail frowned as she put the cards back in their box "Who's Andrew?"   
He laughed "Jill's husband, I thought Holly had told you about him"  
The blonde grabbed her crutches and stood up "We've talked about them a lot, I just never got a name" she made her way to the mini fridge and pulled out two bottles of water, they had bought there own snacks and drinks, filling the fridge so they didn't buy anything from it "it was usually asshole or dickhead, those lovely terms" she held out the drinks and he leaned forward and took them, she grabbed a packet of cheese puffs and threw them on the couch before coming back.  
"I know neither Holly or Matt think much of him or their sister" he sighed "They don't always make things easy when we're together"  
"From what I've heard neither has Jill or her husband, you don't hit on your wife's sister or proposition her and her girlfriend" the blonde said as she sat "He says anything like that to either of us when I do meet them and I'll have him arrested for sexual harassment"  
"Gail" Jack said in a father tone.  
"Come on, hasn't he gotten away with it for long enough, sexual harassment isn't a joke" Gail was getting annoyed, from what she'd heard from both her fiancee and Matt, it was about time someone actually stopped what had been happening.  
"I'm not exactly happy that Jill is married to him, neither is Wendy but it's her choice who she is with, just like its Matt's choice who he is with and Holly's too, we can't take sides"  
The blonde raised an eyebrow "Take sides? He asked Holly, his wife's sister and her girlfriend to have sex with him. There is nothing to take sides about, it just should never happen"  
He looked down at his hands "Gail, I can't stop you from taking action against him but I do ask that you don't bring this up to Wendy, it's a problem in our family that we all do our best to deal with in our own ways, we asked Holly to be the bigger person and ignore it"  
"From what I hear that stopped earlier this year"  
"He made a bad situation worse, which is why I don't understand why Holly wants to invite them to your engagement" Jack said.  
Gail shrugged "I love the woman, I don't always understand what's happening in that smart brain of hers" she said, wanting the conversation to end, she understood that her fiancees parents wanted to keep the peace, she'd spent years doing what her mother asked to do the same but it doesn't mean she agrees with it "How about a movie?" She offered as she opened the bag of cheese puffs.

 

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"So how was your day with your Mom?" Gail asked Holly, from the bed as she came into their room, when the brunette had text her to let her know she was on her way back, Jack had left so he would be able to pick up his wife from her last class.  
Holly sighed and sat on the end of the bed "She wanted to talk about us and the risk of your job and blah blah blah blah" she threw herself back on the bed with a groan.  
The blonde chuckled and ran her hand through her loves hair "What did you tell her?"  
The brunette looked up at her "That you told me you'd do anything to get home to me every night"  
Gail leaned down and kissed her softly "I will you know" she said resting their foreheads together.  
"How did things go with my Dad?" The brunette asked, she took the blondes hand that had been in her hair, lacing their fingers.  
Gail moved around so she was laying across the bed, above her lovers head "Well, we played poker for a while" Holly looked up at her, she knew Gail was a card shark when it came to poker, one time, early in their relationship they had played strip poker, it had taken a minimum number of hands for her to be naked while the blonde had remained fully clothed "I didn't keep his money" she reassured her "Then we talked for a while, we have a differing opinion of things with your sister and brother in law and I also...." She mumbled, Holly wasn't able to catch what she said "Then we watched a movie and got room service for lunch"  
"Wait a sec" the brunette said looking up "I missed the middle bit what did you also?" She asked.  
Gail flushed red "I ummmm, I asked for his blessing" she whispered.  
"Blessing for what?" Holly asked, then it dawned on her "You asked him if you could marry me didn't you?" She asked sitting up, turning around and grinning at her.  
The blonde flushed a deeper red "it was the right thing to do" she looked away from the brunette embarrassed.  
"Aww don't be like that" Holly moved up to then straddled Gail's hips, turning her head so she faced her in the process "I think it's so sweet that you did it and knowing Dad, he would have loved it" she took both of the blondes hands in hers and leaned down and kissed her "You" kiss "are" kiss "so" another kiss "sweet" she kissed her again dragging this one out.  
When Holly pulled back Gail pouted "I'm not sweet"  
The brunette grinned down at her "with me you are"  
The blonde squeezed her hands "But you're the exception to the rule"  
"What rule, that badass Officer Gail Elaine Peck is tough and never sweet" Holly asked releasing her hands and running them up her arms to her shoulders.  
"Damn right, I'm only sweet with one brunette doctor who happens to go by the name Holly Stewart" she put her arms around the woman above her and pulled her down against her "I love you" she said softly.  
"I love you too" Holly replied, she closed the distance between them and pulled Gail into a fiery kiss.

 

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The couple had spent much of the rest of their week away taking it easy, they had lunch with Wendy and Jack on their last day in town and made arrangements for their drive back to the airport.   
Matt had picked them up on Saturday lunchtime. Just after landing in Toronto, Holly had received a call from her office. Her boss needed her to help sort through a few boxes of evidence for the prosecution on the Allen serial case, it wouldn't take long and Gail requested she be dropped at 15 for a visit.  
"Peck, your back" Oliver called out across the bullpen, as the blonde hobbled over.  
"You'll be sick of me soon" she said "I see the doctor on Monday, I should be back on light duties on Tuesday or Wednesday"  
He stood up from his desk, letting her take the chair "How is the rookie going?" She asked noticing his shadow was missing.  
Oliver sighed and sat on the corner of his desk "Transferred, they think we're the problem, hopefully 27 will work out he is incompetent and they'll finally believe it's not us"  
"At least he's not risking our lives anymore" the blonde commented, she pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to him.  
"What's this?" The older man asked opening it.  
"An invitation, what does it look like" she answered sarcastically.  
Oliver frowned and read the paper "You are invited to an announcement" he looked at her, then down at her left hand "You didn't?"  
Gail grinned at him "I did"  
"That's awesome Darlin" he said with a smile as he leaned over to give her a hug.  
"Celery is invited of course"  
"But why an announcement, why not just say it's an engagement party?" He said as he sat back up.  
"Long story, one I don't think I'm gonna get a chance to tell you" she noticed over his shoulder that Chris and Dov were on their way over.  
Oliver turned and followed her line of sight "Epstein and I need to get back out anyway" he kissed her cheek "it's good to see you though" he held up the invitation "We'll be there with bells on and I want that long story when your back" he said pointing at her, she saluted letting him know it would happen, he smiled and grabbed Dov's arm tugging him away.  
"Hey" Chris said "How was your holiday?"  
"Good" she said "How were things here?"  
"Pretty uneventful aside from Duncan leaving, even the gossip was quiet" he said taking Oliver's spot.  
Gail pulled out four envelopes "Can you give these out for me?" She pulled up the top one "this ones yours" she said handing it to him.  
"Engagement party?" He said with a smile taking them, the blonde frowned at him "Matt mentioned it" he explained.  
She rolled her eyes "Big mouth" she muttered.  
"I'm happy for you" he said honestly "She's awesome and you deserve to be happy"  
"Alright, enough soppy shit" she said and slowly got up "I'd better go give Traci and Frank theirs" she hobbled away.  
"Peck, you aren't back till next week" Frank said as she came in his office, Noelle was sitting opposite him.  
"Hey" the older woman said "How's the leg?"  
"Getting there slowly" she answered, she turned to her staff Sargent "My specialist appointment is on Monday, I should know then if I'm allowed on light duties"  
"It'll be good to have you back, then I can put Diaz in booking, the feel good recovery stuff is driving me nuts" he joked.  
"I also wanted to give you this" Gail handed him an invitation.  
"Announcement?" He questioned.  
Noelle looked at her with a grin "Did you get engaged to the good doctor?"   
The blonde nodded with a smile "And crazily enough she wants to marry me"  
The older woman stood, moved over and hugged her "Congratulations" she said softly "Good to see you happy" she added as she pulled back.  
"Thanks" Gail said with a blush.

 

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"Somehow I knew I'd only have to find one of you" Gail said as she hobbled into the Guns and Gangs office.  
"Hey little sis" Steve said from his chair "How was the Big Apple?"  
Traci stood from her seat and moved across to make it easier for the blonde to sit.  
"It was great" the blonde said as she sat "I wanted to give you this" she handed the invite to Traci "It's for the party" she explained, they already knew most of the details.  
"Cool" Steve said snatching it from Traci's hand. His girlfriend, gave him a look and snatched it back before she could speak his phone went off, he looked at the number "it's dispatch" he said standing, he gave the other detective a quick kiss then turned to his sister "I wanna hear about New York, lunch on Tuesday?" He asked as he backed out of the room.  
"Sure" the blonde agreed and he disappeared around the corner.  
"So did you have fun?" Traci asked.  
Gail smiled broadly "It was great, we did all the tourist things, spent sometime with Holly's parents, we even got to just spend time sitting together"  
The detective leaned back in her chair "You do look relaxed" she said with a smile "Did you sleep okay?"  
The blonde nodded "Aside from a little panic attack when we first got on the plane, I didn't have any nightmares or anything" before Traci could speak, Gail continued "I ummm... I actually was wondering..." She said incoherently.  
"What did you need?" The detective asked crossing her arms.  
"A background check on someone" the blonde said.  
Traci frowned "What? On who?" She asked, she knows her friend doesn't normally ask for this sort of thing, not from her anyway.  
"Holly's brother in law" she said, then launched into an explanation of why she wanted to get him checked out.  
"Fair enough" she said finishing writing down the details "Why don't you do it?"  
"I need it as soon as possible, they'll be at the party and I need to make sure I'm ready if he decides to open his mouth" Gail said.  
"Hey" Holly's voice came from the doorway "Am I interrupting?"  
The blonde leaned back as the brunette walked over, Gail looked up at her as she stopped behind her "Nope" she said taking both her hands as Holly kissed her forehead. Traci smiled, she liked that they were happy and her friend was so in love she didn't mind the PDAs "We were just talking about running a background check on Andrew before the party"  
"Okay" the doctor said "You ready to head out?"  
"Yup" the blonde looked to her friend "thanks for doing this"  
"Anytime"

 

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The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet. Matt was hardly home due to work at the restaurant. Gail had invited Chris around for some of Sunday as he had needed someone to talk to and with her future brother in law too busy, she figured they could distract him. It turned into a game and pizza day with the three of them playing games, well Holly did for a while but quit in favour of getting some research done.

 

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Monday arrived quickly, they were getting ready to leave for Gail's appointment when Holly's cell phone rang, the blonde pointed out the door and she made her way out of the house to get in the car.  
"Dr Stewart" she said without looking at the number as she grabbed both their bags, the blonde past scans and made for the door.  
"Holly Stewart?" The person asked.  
The brunette then pulled back the phone checking the number "What can I help you with?" She asked politely giving the person the benefit of the doubt, not confirming her identity any further than her surname.  
"I'm from the Toronto Sun, I'm looking for the Dr Holly Stewart who handled the forensics on the Toronto Slasher case" the man said, still not having identified himself.  
"What is your name?" The brunette said as she got in the car, Gail frowned at her.  
"Frederick Johns" he said "As I said.."  
Holly cut him off "I think you have the wrong number, please do not call me again or I will have to contact the police" she said then ended the call.  
"Are you okay?" Her fiancée asked.  
"That was Frederick Johns from the Toronto Sun wanting to discuss the serial killer case" she explained.  
"Shit, we'd better tell Frank so he can tell the higher ups" Gail said  
"It could also be the defence attorney looking for a way to discredit me" Holly suggested as she started the car "it wouldn't be the first time they've posed as the press to see if I'd leak details"  
"Lovely" the blonde said, putting her hand on the brunettes knee as she usually did when she was driving.

 

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Once they arrived at the hospital, Gail was taken for an MRI to check the healing and also to see if there was any other damage to her leg, namely her knee and ankle. Holly was waiting in the room they had put the blonde in when a nurse burst through the door "Are you Holly?" She asked out of breath.  
"Yes, is...." The brunette said standing.  
"Follow me" she said turning and leaving.  
"Is she okay?" Holly asked as she followed.  
"We set off a panic attack when we strapped her down for the MRI" she explained as they pushed through the doors to the diagnostic part of the hospital.  
"She was kidnapped" The brunette explained vaguely as the walked into the room "Gail" she called out. The blonde was sitting on the bed in the machine, she didn't look up, she was rocking.  
"She was kidnapped" the nurse whispered to the other people in the room, who seemed to nod in understanding and stood back, letting Holly handle it.  
"Sweetheart look at me" she said tilting her head up.  
"He wants to tie me down again" she said sounding small and terrified, her eyes unfocused "He can't, if he does he'll hurt me again, we have to go" she said panicked, her eyes focused on Holly for a second "Hol, we have to run"  
"Honey it's okay, he's in prison remember, he can't hurt you anymore" she took the blondes face in both her hands, stroking her cheek with her thumb "Come back to me love, I love you" she could see the fight for control over the fear in her lovers eyes.  
"Holly?" She asked, sounding more like herself "Hol, what happened?" She asked looking around "Crap" she muttered.  
The brunette didn't care who was there, she gave Gail a quick, soft kiss "You had an attack when they tried to strap you down for the scan" she explained.  
The blonde looked over at the worried staff "I'm sorry" she said with a sigh "I'm sorry" she said looking to her fiancée.  
"No apologies remember" she said softly.  
The doctor stepped forward "There is no need to be sorry to us, we're sorry, it's in the history you provided that you suffer with PTSD and we should have asked about any issues and sedated you" he walked over to the bed "I'm truly sorry"  
After settling a little more, Gail was sedated and then scanned. Holly was allowed to stay in the viewing room due to the circumstances. Once they were done the blonde was returned to her room to allow the sedation to wear off. Within an hour, she was awake but drowsy and waiting for the surgeon. When the doctor walked in, the blonde was dozing and Holly was reading something on her phone "I heard about what happened with the MRI, I'm sorry" he said putting the file and IPad he was carrying on the nearby table.  
"It's okay" Gail said "So what's the verdict, do I get to still be a police officer?" She asked as she reached over and took her lovers hand.  
"Well first thing, the break is healing, it's a little slower than normal but that can happen, we'll do another scan in 4 weeks and see where things are before releasing you to the streets" he explained "I would suggest you take some calcium tablets, it can help the healing on any future injuries"  
"What about her knee?" Holly asked sitting forward and wrapping her other hand around their joined ones, if there is any major ligament damage it would mean surgery and almost a year of desk work, the brunette had already explained that to her..  
"Well" he turned on the iPad "her ankle looks normal" he pulled up one of the scans and turned it so Holly could see it "She has what I'm fairly certain is a contusion on her PCL and her ACL this would be due to the twisting action as the truck ran over her" he pointed to the spot "As you can see there doesn't appear to be any tears, just some deep bruising, which by the time she is back on her feet it should have healed"  
"So no surgery?" Gail asked not understanding most of what he had explained to the brunette.  
"No surgery" he confirmed pulling back the iPad and putting it back down "So today, what we need to do is remove your current cast and fit you with a walking cast"  
The blonde pulled a face "why not a brace?"  
"Because of the slow healing, you really need to be off the leg completely for another week then minimal walking for the next two" he considered the woman in front of him for a minute "I tell you what, I'll fit you with the brace on two conditions"  
"Anything" the blonde was desperate to be able to bathe properly.  
"Absolutely no weight on this leg for a week, if you do it could snap the just healing bones as the brace does not hold as strongly as the cast" he explained " you also have to come back next Monday for another exam and physical therapy before you start trying to put any weight on it"  
"Am I cleared for desk duty?" She asked, knowing she was pushing it.  
Her shook his head slightly with a smile and looked to Holly "Is she this bad at home?"  
"Worse" the brunette confirmed with a grin. Gail gave her a dirty look.  
"Alright, I'll clear you for light duties but you attend all physical therapy appointments from next week, you miss even just one and I will contact your superior"  
"I'll be here" the blonde said with a smile.  
"I'll make sure she is" the brunette confirmed.  
"Okay then" Dr Gordon said "let's get this cast off and get you fitted for the brace"

 

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On the way home they dropped into 15 to give Frank the doctors report and to discuss the phone call Holly had gotten "Alright" the staff sergeant said as he came back in the room after enquiring about the reporter "Frederick Johns does work for the paper, he says he got yours and Gail's name from a source within the department"  
"I did speak to a class in New York about the forensics but never mentioned anything that would give away any identities or any actual evidence it was more on crime scene examination" Holly told him, worried she might have caused this.  
"It's okay Doc, I've been told this has happened before with this guy, a case at 27 was leaked to him" he explained "Don't be too worried, if anyone else contacts either of you just tell them no comment"  
"Okay" Holly said with a nod.  
He turned to Gail "Officer Peck" He handed her a piece of paper "Your shifts, front desk, all days and this weekend off"  
She took it from him "Yes Sir"  
"She not allowed to have any weight on her leg" the brunette said, putting her hand up without even looking at her fiancee, knowing she would be objecting "And she needs to go to physical therapy starting Monday"  
"Holly" Gail whispered harshly, her annoyance evident in her tone.  
Frank smiled "Let me know the times and I'll adjust her shifts"   
Before the blonde could object further there was a knock at the door and they were shuffled out.  
"Really?" Gail said as she got into the car.  
Holly took the crutches from her "Really what?" The brunette said innocently.  
The blondes eyes narrowed "I can tell my boss my medical needs"   
Holly closed Gail's door, put the crutches on the backseat and went to the drivers side "I waited for you to and you didn't, it's important Hun, you know that" The blonde pouted and folded her arms. The doctor leaned over and kissed her cheek "I'm not back to work until tomorrow so how about we grab some lunch, head home and cuddle up in front of a movie" she said resting her hand on her lovers thigh "Matt's working all afternoon" she whispered in her ear and kissed her neck softly.  
Gail moaned "Lunchbox, you're a tease"  
Holly sat up and pulled her seatbelt on "Who's teasing?" She said as she started the car.

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A/N - I continue to include the PTSD because it doesn't just go away, plus they never dealt with it on the show and I think they should. And in case anyone was wondering, no I have no plans to hurt Gail or Holly for that matter, the talk with Holly's mother was just a mother voicing concerns not a omen of things to come. Next chapter will have the party. Thanks again, please review.  
Bec oxox

 

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	17. Chapter 17

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A/N - sorry for the delay in posting, I decided to change a whole section of the story as what I had written didn't fit, hopeful what's there does now. I've been asked by a few people why I said that Gail was raped when in the show, it appeared she wasn't. It was a character decision I guess, it made sense to me that a killer who had her drugged and tied up in the basement may have attacked her during that time. I'm sorry if it threw anybody for a loop, it wasn't meant to, I actually thought they could have gone much deeper into Gail's character with the whole incident but they didn't really do it. I am glad they made the friendship with Traci though, I love the dynamic between them, like Holly, Traci doesn't take her shit. My editing is not great on this one, I'll correct any mistakes I see.

 

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Disclaimer - I only own the characters I create and do not profit from this.

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Chapter Seventeen

 

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"Are you taking the chair in tomorrow or are you going to use the crutches?" Holly asked, she was sitting next to the bath on the floor while Gail was in the bath, after getting home from the hospital and because she wasn't able to wash her leg properly over the last, almost four weeks, the blonde had insisted on having a bath before anything else.  
"I figured I'd try the crutches, see how I go, maybe take the chair just in case" Gail answered, she reached out and took the brunettes hand "why don't you come in here with me?" She asked with a grin.  
Holly shook her head "You heard the doctor, your healing slowly and if I knock your leg with the brace off it could break again so no, once your healed we'll have a bath together, I promise" she gave her hand a squeeze and threaded their fingers together.  
"Spoilsport" Gail said and pouted.  
The brunette looked over at her "You think I'm a spoilsport, really?" The blonde froze, she knew this was a trick question.  
"Not really" Gail answered, hoping it would cut off whatever tease Holly was thinking of because usually these situations ended up with her completely frustrated and her fiancée laughing.  
The brunette looked at her, she could see the blonde was hoping she wouldn't keep going, so she let her off "I'm gonna go make sure my things are ready for work tomorrow, maybe get dinner started, give me a call when your ready to get out" she stood up "Do not try to get out without me"  
"Yes ma'am" Gail said as she relaxed back into the tub.

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Hours later, after Holly had helped Gail from the bath, they'd had dinner, the brunette had used wine in the recipe had a few glasses of it while cooking and was feeling rather tipsy, the couple were currently on the couch watching a movie. Well the blonde was watching it, Holly was bored as it was a James Bond movie and she couldn't stand them. It had come on after a show they were watching and she couldn't be bothered looking for something else so she decided to distract herself with the blonde body currently leaning against her on the couch. She slipped her hand under the t-shirt she was wearing, Gail didn't respond at first just continued watching the Tv. She knew the blonde would try as hard as she could to ignore her, enjoying the attention. Holly moved her hand to Gail's breast then her nipple, gently brushing her fingers over the hardening peak, the blonde shifted slightly, the move obviously taking her by surprise. The brunette bought her other hand up, paying the other nipple the same attention, the woman leaning on her, rested her head back on her shoulder and closed her eyes "You like that?" Holly whispered in her ear.  
"Mmmm" she moaned back "I forgot how horny you get when you drink" she murmured, as she started running her hands up and down the legs she was sitting between.  
"I get horny just being near you" the brunette husked in her ear, she started kissing Gail's neck as her hands grasped her breasts more insistently, she took one hand away, picked up the blondes braced leg and rested it on the back of the couch. As her hand came back down she slipped it inside the waist band of the sleep shorts Gail was wearing.  
"Fuck" the blonde moaned, happy now that she had forgone wearing underwear, as her lovers fingers dipped straight into her slick wet folds, instantly teasing her clit "Fuck Hol" she moaned out as she held onto the brunettes arm with one hand and leg with the other.  
"That's the idea" Holly said as she slowly rubbed her fingertips against her lovers bundle of nerves "I'm gonna sit here and make love to you nice and slow" she moved her fingers lower and entered her with two of them, she thrust three times fast then started a very slow rhythm "Do you want that, nice... and .... slow...." she said thrusting with every word.  
"Oh yea" Gail moaned out, her hips moving slightly with the thrusts of the brunettes fingers "feels so good"  
Holly pulled her hand from the blondes shirt, she turned her head and kissed her hard, as their tongues battled, Gail could taste the wine on her fiancees lips "You feel so good" the brunette moaned, when they separated for air "Your so wet" she added as they rested their heads together, Holly still thrusting at an even, slow pace.  
"Please" her lover said sounding a little desperate.  
"Please what?" The brunette asked, she slid another finger inside the blonde.  
"Oh god" Gail gasped, as she felt the extra digit "Faster" she panted as she rested her head on the other woman's shoulder.  
"No" Holly said "slow and steady, I promise I won't stop"  
Had the blonde been more able bodied, she would have turned around and taken control, but she was currently at her fiancees mercy, she did the only thing she could think off, she let go of Holly's arm and her fingers went straight to her clit rubbing to try and get her to that peak sooner.  
"As hot as watching you do that is" the brunette started, she reached down and took Gail's hand away, she linked their finger and held onto her hand "I wanna do this for you, let me please" The blonde nodded "Good, you'll get there baby, just let me do it" she changed the angle of her slow thrusts, going deeper.  
"Fuuuuuck" Gail moaned loudly. Holly smiled and thrust slowly, as she thrust deeply, the blonde began to feel the stir in her abdomen "Hol" she gasped.  
"You can feel it can't you, it's coming slowly but your almost there" the brunette said into her ear, she felt her reply with a nod "See it doesn't need to be fast, just steady"  
"Holly" she moaned "I need...." She panted "Fuck I need...."  
"What do you need Honey?" The brunette released her hand and bought her hand up to turn the blondes head so she could look at her.  
"I just need you" she sobbed, she could see the tears in her eyes.  
"Gail" she said worried, she began to withdraw her hand from her body but the blonde grabbed it and held her in place.  
"Please don't stop, I love you so much, that's all, please don't stop" she sobbed out.  
Holly kissed her, worried, she upped her pace a little, pushing the blonde closer to that edge, her lover was obviously overwhelmed and she just wanted to make her feel good now. She thrust deeply into her, Gail whimpering and gasping next to her head, she could feel the blonde start to go over the edge "I'm cumming" she moaned and called out Holly's name as she climaxed, her body shaking and shuddering as the orgasm tore through her. When she finally collapsed against the brunette, Holly stopped and let her hand slip free as her lover laid against her, trembling.  
She was running her fingers over Gail's abdomen as she recovered "Are you okay?" She asked the still shaking blonde a minute or two later.  
Gail turned her head to look at her "That was intense" she said, then added "And slightly embarrassing" if she wasn't already flushed, Holly would swear she was blushing "I cried during sex, that's terrible"  
The brunette kissed her nose "Like you said, it was intense, I think it's sweet"  
"I'm not sweet" Gail pouted.  
"Yes you are" Holly said and held her close

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Not long after Gail recovered from their intense love making, they got up and made themselves presentable as Matt would be home soon. When he arrived home he found his sister and her fiancee playing a game, with Gail trying to teach Holly how to drive in the game "Can I join in?" He asked after he'd put his things away.  
"Get me a refill and you can" the brunette said holding up her empty beer bottle.  
"You have work tomorrow remember" the blonde who had her legs over Holly reminded her.  
The doctor shrugged "Beer please" she said holding the bottle out. He took it and went to the kitchen "I need to pee" the brunette said, she gently moved Gail's legs and left.  
"Is something wrong?" He asked, sitting on the other couch, he had a soda for him and his future sister in law and a beer for Holly.  
"I asked her she said no, that she just felt like drinking, I get that, I know that feeling. It also could be that my leg isn't healing quickly and I am starting back at work tomorrow only on desk work but it's a step closer to being in the field" the blonde said as she used the control to set up for a third player.  
"She worries" he said "She's probably just blowing off steam, at least this time she's at home"  
"True" Gail agreed just as Holly returned.  
She sat next to the blonde and lifted her legs back across her "Okay little brother, time for me to kick your ass" she said as the game started.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"I love you" Holly slurred to her brother as he helped her into the bedroom she shared with Gail.  
"I love you too Hols" he said as he sat her on the bed, when he did, she flopped onto her back "You got it from here?" He asked the blonde as she made her way into the room.  
"Yea, its cool" she said "She's pretty good with instructions when she's that drunk"  
"I'll leave my phone turned on, call if you need me" he said.  
"Will do" she agreed and he left, she turned to Holly "Come on my beautiful drunk doctor, time for bed"  
"We should go dancing" the brunette said from the bed.  
Gail laughed "Really, I can't walk and you want me to dance"  
Holly stuck her head up and looked at the blonde resting on the crutches "that's true" she admitted "We should go to the Penny so I can kick Dov's ass at trivia again" she said as she laid back down.  
"It's almost midnight on Tuesday night, I think they'd be home in bed right now" Gail said "Come and brush your teeth"  
Holly sat up "Whoa" she said "note to self, don't move too fast"  
The blonde chuckled from the bathroom, she was standing in the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth when her fiancee came up behind her "Here" she said handing her her brush with the paste already on it.  
The brunette put it in her mouth and wrapped her arms around Gail's waist "I love you" she said around the brush.  
The blonde spat her toothpaste out "I love you too, brush your teeth" she said and Holly moved one of her hands to he brush and started cleaning.  
Once Gail had rinsed, she leaned back slightly on the brunette "Are you sure everything's okay?"  
Holly pulled away a little, she rinsed and spat, then once she'd put her tooth brush up, she wrapped her arms back around her lover "I just needed to relax you know" she said into the blondes shoulder "Know what I mean"  
Gail ran her hands up and down Holly's arms "I do, come on lets go to bed"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Your back" Andy said as Gail hobbled into the locker room the next morning.  
"Yes I'm back" the blonde said with an eye roll, she was already in her uniform, she put her things in the locker and pocketed her cell phone.  
"You doing front desk?" The brunette officer asked.  
"We don't need to do the small talk thing" Gail said as she shut the locker.  
"I'm just trying to make things less awkward between us" Andy said with a slight smile.  
"You can try all you like, I just don't think it'll ever happen" the blonde grabbed the handles on her crutches and left.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Welcome back Darlin" Oliver said as she hobbled into the parade room.  
"Nice to finally have something to do again" Gail said as she took a seat.  
"How's the doc doing?" He asked.  
"She's okay, she got pretty stressed over my leg and everything but aside from that she's good" the blonde explained. They didn't get to talk much more as everyone else filed in. Gail sat back as the older officer sat next to her.  
"Morning everyone" Frank said standing in front of the crowd "I'd like to welcome back Officer Peck, she's back with us from today, she'll be working the front desk until she's healed" he looked down at the papers in front of him "with it getting colder and towards the holiday season we'll be starting our normal blitz on speeding and alcohol, day shift tomorrow will start targeting designated areas" he looked up at the detectives at the back of the room "I believe detective Nash needs volunteers"  
"Just two" Traci said "I just need some help running down leads on that homicide from yesterday"  
Gail pretty much tuned out then, she couldn't really leave the station so none of this really concerned her, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket, she was going to text Holly when she saw she already had a text from her 'Remind me not to drink that much on a school night again' was all it said.  
The blonde smiled Matt had driven them both to work this morning as the brunette wasn't sure she was sober enough 'That will teach you, what did you say, no sympathy for self inflicted wounds?'  
'Sounds like me, kinda regretting that right now' Holly sent back a minute later.  
"Peck" Gail heard and her head shot up, Frank was standing in front of her and the room was empty "Your phone distracting you?" He asked stern look on his face.  
The blonde blushed and pocketed it "Sorry sir, won't happen again"  
His expression softened "I'm messing with you, head out to the front desk, since your both desk bound, Diaz will be your runner for now until I can find someone else and get him into booking, I hope that's okay"  
"There are worse choices" Gail said as she pulled herself up.  
"True" he agreed "Call me if you need anything" he said and headed out.  
The blonde pulled her phone back out 'I'll bet you are, I'd bring you coffee but I'm tied to the desk' she put it in her pocket and headed out of the room.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Gail had been texting Holy most of the day, well until she was called to a crime scene, after that her day had become pretty ordinary. She had to listen to Chris tell her how great her future brother in law was, by the end of her shift, she was pretty sure her ex has a crush. Well, she would think that if she wasn't sure Chris was straight, but then she had thought herself mostly straight until very recently. She shrugged off the thoughts not wanting to think about it. She ended up using her wheelchair, the few times she needed to move quickly had almost resulted in her falling so the crutches we're currently in Traci's office until Holly picked her up. She was just finishing her last lot of paperwork and was about to sign over to another officer when she saw Matt walk in the front door "Hey Speed bump" he said leaning on the desk his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.  
She frowned at him then looked at the paperwork "Shouldn't you be at work?" She asked and closed the file.  
"Not on tonight and my sister asked me to pick you up as she's stuck at work until she's done with the body's she has" he explained "I was thinking, we'd grab some pizzas and head down there for a while"  
Gail smiled at him "Sounds good, just let me get my stuff" she buzzed him in and sat him in the lounge as she wheeled herself to the locker room.  
Chloe followed not long after "Is that Holly's brother?" She asked as she opened her locker.  
The blonde pulled herself up and out if the chair so she could reach her locker "Yea" she answered not really paying much attention.  
"He's hot but then he looks just like Holly so of course he'd be hot" she babbled.  
This caught Gail's attention, she shut her locker enough so she could see the other woman "You think my fiancée is hot?" She asked in a tone that made Chloe sweat a little.  
"I didn't...." She looked at the blonde for a second "I'm not gay or bi" she stated "So I'm not interested but I can appreciate the beauty of the female form, if it makes you feel better, I think your hot too, even when your being a bitch" she finished and closed her locker heading for a shower.  
Gail raised an eyebrow at Chloe's retreating form, she shook her head and finished what she was doing.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"No wonder your stuck here" Gail said as she hobbled into the morgue, Holly was currently examining a wound on the bodies thigh and there were two other clipboards on the fridge wall, meaning two more bodies.  
The brunette looked up and smiled, her glasses sitting on the end of her nose "I was hoping I'd see you before you went home" she said and tugged off her gloves and apron.  
"Matt's gone to get some pizza for us, I think he gone to the restaurant to make it" the blonde said moving over to her lover.  
Holly rolled her eyes "Probably, he does make great pizza" she said as Gail stopped in front of her.  
"Hi" the blonde said softly, she let the crutches dangle and wrapped her arms around the brunette, she gave her a soft teasing kiss and pulled back, looking into her eyes.  
"Hi" Holly said back, she put her hands on Gail's cheeks and kissed her again "How was your first day back?"  
The blonde rolled her eyes "I was with Chris on front desk all day, I swear to god, if I didn't know better I'd say he's in love with Matt" she said, the brunette frowned at her "All I heard all day was how great he is"  
Holly smiled "So he has a little man crush" she slipped her hands from Gail's cheeks to her neck.  
"I wonder if he realises Matt's gay?" The blonde said to herself.  
"No" the brunette said shaking her head.  
"What?" Gail answered, a sly but slightly guilty look on her face.  
"You are not going to say anything to either of them, I know you, you just want to stir it up and watch the fallout" the slyness left her girlfriend "Chris is only just recovering, who knows what he's dealing with and Matt's still not ready to come out, it's not a situation to play with, okay?"  
Gail looked at her feet a little ashamed she had even considered it "I didn't think about it like that" she said softly, looking down.  
Holly moved he hands back to her face, tilting her head up "I know, that's what I'm here for" she gave her a kiss. The blonde pulled her closer, so their bodies were pressed together, she slid her hand into the brunettes hair and deepened the kiss, their tongues duelling for dominance, Holly's arms went from her face and wrapped around her body, heading for her behind. Without thinking Gail stepped forward to push her lover towards the desk, she let out a howl of pain, the only reason she was still standing was that the brunette still had a hold of her. The blondes head was now resting on her shoulder as she held up most of her weight, she didn't want to move until the pain had subsided.  
"You don't need to remind me, I just got a very painful one" Gail said her voice very shaky.  
"Can you hold yourself up?" Holly asked.  
The blonde let her go and grabbed her crutches, making sure her left leg was under her "I'm good" she said and her fiancee released her.  
"Have a seat" the brunette suggested as adjusted her glasses back into place and went back to the body.  
Gail reluctantly sat down "So office sex is out of the question?" She asked, wincing as she sat.  
"Well, I do owe you public sex, we could make it office sex" Holly started as she put her apron back on and got fresh gloves.  
"Really?" The blonde asked her eyes lighting up.  
"Once your leg is completely healed" the brunette said going back to the body.  
Gail sighed "that's like a month away"  
"You'll have something to look forward too" 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly yawned as she walked in the front door, after they had eaten dinner at the morgue she had driven Gail and Matt home and the headed back, so he wouldn't have to come back and get her. She had only just finished the three bodies half an hour ago, she'd put her note taker on the work computer to upload and left for home. It was quiet when she arrived, indicating that her brother and fiancee were both in bed. She quietly headed upstairs, she'd just reached the second floor when she heard a blood curdling scream from the bedroom. She dropped her bag and took off to the bedroom, when she reached their room she saw Gail, once again, in the throws of a nightmare, she hurried to her side "Gail Honey, it's okay, your safe"  
"No....." She cried "please not again.... Anything but...." She screamed again.  
A bleary eyed Matt appeared in the doorway, seeing his sister, he just leaned on the door frame.  
"Gail" Holly shook her shoulders "wake up sweetheart"  
The blonde stopped moving then woke up with a gasp "Holly?" She asked as she half sat up, she was drenched in sweat.  
The brunette brushed back the wet locks sticking to her forehead "yea it's me, your okay" she said softly.  
Gail looked at her still confused "Holly?" She said again.  
Holly looked to her brother "I've got it" he nodded and left. The blonde laid back down, she still had fear in her eyes, the brunette wondered if she was awake, she touched her arm and Gail flinched away "Sweetheart?" She asked. She could see she was fighting through the dream.  
"What's going on, Jerry....." Her voice cracked "I'm sorry" she said her hand going to her mouth.  
"Gail?" Holly said again "it's okay, your okay, we're at home in our bed"  
The blonde squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath "I'm okay" she said letting out a shuddering breath "I took pain killers" she said, sounding more like herself.  
This time when the brunette reached out, Gail grabbed onto her arm "Are you okay?" The doctor knew the painkillers made her dreams so much more vivid, there wasn't a lot they could do about that, it was either tolerate the pain or take the pills, the blonde usually only took them if she needed them.  
Gail pulled the wet T-shirt off her chest where it was clinging to her "I'm wet" she said.  
Holly smiled and kissed her head "Bath?" She offered, standing up.  
"Yea" she said pulling a face "I feel gross, I don't normally sweat like that do I?"  
"Not usually but I usually try to pull you out of it as soon as I realise" the brunette said as the blonde manoeuvred her braced leg off the bed "How bad is the pain?" She asked when she noticed her wince when she moved her leg.  
"Well my insistence on trying to use the crutches at work resulted in a few knocks to it until I started using the chair so it's pretty sore" Gail explained as Holly handed her the crutches and she slowly stood.  
The brunette put her hands on the blondes cheeks "You are a stubborn shit sometimes, use the chair at least until your appointment next week"  
"Don't worry, I will" Gail assured her as they went to the bathroom.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"She okay?" Matt asked his sister as she walked into the kitchen after helping Gail into a hot bath. He was sitting at the bench nursing a beer. Holly reached over and took the beer off him tipping it down the sink "Hey" he said.  
"It's almost midnight and you were already asleep, I'll make you cocoa" she said pulling out a pot for the milk "she's okay, she took oxy, it makes the dreams worse"  
He sighed "I hate seeing her like that" he confessed.  
The brunette got the milk from the fridge "You and me both" she said pouring the milk in the pot.  
"Can't they do anything?" He asked.  
"She's in therapy, she's on medication, it all takes time. The serial case really did a number on her, it will settle down again" she explained "All we can do is love and support her"  
"She's a good person, she doesn't deserve any of this" Matt said.  
Holly looked over at her brother "I know" she said going over and leaning on the bench in front of him "We just need to look after her"  
"I know" he said and sighed "she'd kill us if she knew we were talking about her like this"  
The brunette smiled "definitely" she stood back up "So cocoa?"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey speed bump?" Matt called from downstairs "get a move on, your appointment is in twenty minutes, Holly will kill me if I don't get you there on time"  
The brunette had to go into work early before Gail's standing therapy appointment Thursday morning and asked Matt to take her and she would meet them there then drop the blonde at the station for her afternoon shift. "Hold your horses" she said starting to descend the stairs "takes ages to get dressed when you can't actually stand on one of your legs"  
"Should have gotten up earlier" he said as she got to the bottom of the stairs.  
She took a swipe at him with one of the crutches but her dodged it, he chuckled "Missed me"  
"I won't always be on crutches you know" she pointed out.  
He shouldered her bag for her "I know, but right now I have the advantage"  
"You'll keep" she said to him as they headed out the front door.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Hey" Holly said standing as they walked over to Gail's SUV that the brunette was using while her fiancee was unable to drive.  
"Hey" the blonde said hobbling up to her, she gave her a quick kiss.  
"Here, I have a few errands to run for the party before work so I'll see you two tonight" he kissed his sister and handed her the officers bag then Gail kissed on the cheek as well and left.  
"That was weird" the blonde said as Holly put her bag in the car.  
"He's worried about you" the brunette explained as they started walking to the medical centre.  
Gail looked at her stopping "Why?"  
"For the same reasons I worry" she answered putting her hand on the blondes back to get her moving again.  
Gail took the hint and started walking again "I'm okay" she said.  
"We know, but we still worry" Holly explained.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"So how was your time away?" Janine asked as they all sat down "I can see your back at work" she said pointing to Gail's uniform.  
"Yea just desk work for probably a month then hopefully I'll be back to full duty" the blonde explained.  
"Have you seen much of Sophie?" She asked, knowing it was a stressor for Gail at the moment.  
The blonde looked to Holly "things have been pretty busy with us being away, Sophie, Trisha and her aunt will be at the engagement party on Saturday though"  
The therapist nodded "How is everything else?"  
"Fine" Gail said and her fiancee sighed loudly.  
"You disagree?" Janine asked the brunette.  
"When we were in New York, things were good, no nightmares and aside from a slight problem when we left, no panic attacks, since we got back..."  
"It's worse?" The therapist asked when she hesitated.  
"You could say that" Holly said she looked at Gail, who didn't look happy with her "Can you give us a sec?" The brunette said standing, the blonde went to get up.  
"I'll step out for a second" Janine offered, sensing the tension "5 minutes" she added and disappeared out the door.  
"What the hell?" Gail said from her seat "I can speak for myself in therapy Holly"  
The brunette who was still standing folded her arms "Oh really, your fine are you, like last night when you were screaming in your sleep, or the night before when you were crying, or having panic attacks because something sets you off" she looked at Gail who was looking heartbroken. Holly sighed, she uncrossed her arms and moved over in front of the blonde "Sweetheart" she said, the blonde didn't look up. The brunette moved her braced leg out of the way and squatted down "Gail" she said.  
"I'm sorry" the blonde said looking up "I'm sorry you have to put up with this, maybe..."  
Holly clamped her hand over Gail's mouth "Don't you dare do that" she said "I am in this, I am going to marry you and have kids with you and all the rest of that crap. This is a part of you, I'm in this for the good times and bad, so we have some bad to deal with" she slid her hand off the blondes mouth to her cheek then to the back of her head "but dealing with this crap is worth the great thing we have together, you are so worth dealing with all this" she kissed her softly, as she pulled back she slapped the back of her head once, then hit her on the arm.  
"Ow, what was that for?" She asked rubbing her head as Holly stood.  
"The first one is for lying to your therapist, you know she can't help if you pull that crap"  
"And the second one?" Gail asked.  
"For trying to break up with me" the brunette explained.  
"I....." The blonde started, Holly tilted her head and gave her a look as if to dare her to lie to her "I'm sorry" she finished with a blush.  
"It's fine, just don't pull this crap again or I see a lot of couch sleeping in your future, even with a broken leg" the brunette said as she walked to the door to let Janine know they were ready.  
"We okay?" Gail asked.  
"Of course" Holly said "And tonight your gonna explain exactly why you lied to your therapist"  
The blonde groaned.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly walked into 15 about an hour after her shift at the morgue had ended, she'd run a few errands and then come to pick up her fiancee "Hey Chris" she said as she came in the front door.  
"Hey Holly" he said and buzzed her in "She's up in Traci's office I think"  
"Thanks" she said and made her way to the detectives offices, when she walked in there was silence between the two women "Hey" she said getting Gail's attention, she looked exhausted "everything okay?" She asked.  
"Long day" the blonde said reaching out to her, she took her hand "Did something happen?" She asked both Traci and Gail.   
The detective shook her head "It's the anniversary of...." She trailed off.   
"Oh" Holly said, she looked at the blonde, she hadn't mentioned it to her, the brunette had an idea it was soon but didn't know the actual date.  
Gail looked up at her "Can we just.... Steve will be back in a few, can you wait with Traci, I'll grab my stuff" she said, she tugged the brunette down and kissed her "I'll be back" she said, released her hand and wheeled herself out of the room.  
Holly sat opposite Traci "Well that explains a lot" she said.  
"Huh?" The detective said having no idea what she was talking about.  
"Nothing" the brunette said "just thinking out loud, How are you holding up?"  
Traci gave her a sad smile "I still miss Jerry, but I love Steve so for the first time in a long time I'm doing good" she could see the worry in the woman in front of her "Gail will get there, she's strong, the case and the anniversary have gotten to her but she'll be okay"  
"I know" Holly said "I'm just worried"  
"We all are, just keep making her smile and she'll get there" Traci said.  
Before anymore could be said the blonde wheeled back in "McNally was there, so it only took me one minute" she said, her bag in her lap "Let's get outta here" she said, taking the brunettes hand and kissing it.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

Matt was still at work when they got home, so Gail had a bath while Holly showered in the main bathroom and then the brunette made them both a sandwich for dinner as neither of them were very hungry, afterwards they sat in front of the TV "Do you wanna watch a movie?" The brunette offered bored with the show.  
Gail shrugged "I'm not fussed, whatever you wanna do" She said, she was laying with her head on Holly's lap.  
"I'm sorry about this morning" the brunette said running her hand through her lovers short hair "if I'd known...." She trailed off.  
"Don't be sorry, no matter what day it is, I shouldn't pull crap like that, lying to someone whose trying to help me is stupid" the blonde said looking up at her "plus the fact that you call me on my bullshit is one of the reasons I love you, so please don't stop" she said with a smile.  
Holly leaned on her other hand and tilted her head at Gail "Did you just give me permission to call you on your shit?"  
The blonde started playing with the hem on her fiancees T-shirt "I didn't think I needed to, you've done it since we met"   
The brunette smiled "that's true, someone had to" Gail poked her in the ribs, Holly jumped, the blonde the slipped her hand inside, running her fingers over her lovers abs "Well you did kind of hate everyone when we met, you can even handle very basic conversation with Andy now"  
"I still hate everyone, you've just...." Gail hesitated.  
"Softened you?" Holly asked as her own hand slid under the blondes tank top.  
"Sad isn't it?" The officer sighed "Everyone at work knows it too. Traci told me that after you visit or I've been to see you, it's the time that they all know to ask me for things, they call it the Holly haze, the half an hour in which to approach Gail Peck"  
The brunette smiled at her "when did she tell you this?"   
"Today, we were talking about how much our lives have changed in the last two years" Gail looked up into Holly's eyes "Good and bad stuff"  
The brunette leaned down and kissed her on the head "You know if you needed to go out for a drink or whatever with Traci, I can drop you off and you can call" she suggested.  
The blonde pulled her hand from Holly's shirt, she took the brunettes hand from her own and linked their fingers "I'm right where I need to be tonight" she played with her hand for a few seconds, she looked away from Holly and down at their hands "I was thinking I might organise to meet up with the girl from the Allen case"  
"Are you sure you're up for it?" The brunette enquired, squeezing her hand.  
Gail looked up at her "Yea, they caught me by surprise last time and with my leg, it was the wrong moment. Traci said her and her parents are in town next week for the preliminary hearing, I gave Janine a call today, she thinks it could help me and offered to be there"  
"That's great sweetheart, I can organise to be around too if you want" she offered, she remembered he last time she was faced with the girl and even if her fiancee said no she would still be close by just in case.  
Gail let go of her hand, reached up and brushed her fingers over her loves cheek "I love you" she said softly "I think I'd need you there to get through it, even if it's just to be there after"  
"I'll be there" Holly said, her hand going to the blondes face then slipping around he back into her hair "However you need me, I'll be there"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

It was Saturday morning, Holly's parents had been picked up by Matt and Holly the night before while Gail had spent and evening with her friends at the Penny. The blonde had opted not to drink as she still valued her sleep and her leg was still painful enough to warrant pain meds. Gail hobbled down the stairs just after 9, Holly had been up for a while already, the blonde stood leaning on her crutches at the bottom of the stairs, watching her fiancee move around the kitchen preparing breakfast "Hey Beautiful" she said softly, hoping not to scare her.  
The brunettes head shot up and she smiled "Hey, did I wake you?" She asked as she put bacon on a plate.  
Gail hobbled towards a stool "The aroma of coffee and bacon bought me down here" she said sitting and setting her crutches aside "Where's Matt?" She asked as Holly set a cup of coffee and a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of her "thanks" she said, she grabbed the brunettes hand and tugged her over "Morning" she said and gave her a soft kiss.  
Once the kiss broke, Holly smiled "Morning" she said and pulled back "He's at Mum and Dads this morning, he said he'll probably stay there at least tonight, give us some privacy, plus Jill, the girls and the asshole are staying in a hotel so they have a whole empty house"  
"Cool" Gail said and ate a fork full "Are you really sure you want her there?"  
The brunette sighed as she put her own coffee and food down opposite the blonde and sat down "She is my sister and I do love her, I don't like her or her choice of husband, I just have to try and tolerate it. Plus I want to know the girls and I can only do that if I'm civil" she looked up at the other woman "what exactly did you and Traci find on him? I know something came up"  
The blonde grinned "Steve mentioned something right?"  
Holly returned the smile "I think he was trying to warn me about it yesterday, without telling me exactly what it was"  
Gail light heartedly rolled her eyes, still grinning "Sounds like that loser" she took a sip of her coffee "when she ran the background check the only things that came up at first were just some tickets then there was a red flag with the fraud squad" the brunette raised her eyebrows "There's an ongoing investigation into his current business dealings, so as it turns out there is nothing I can actually use against him tonight, just enjoy the fact that he's under investigation"  
"Should we warn Jill?" Holly asked.  
"We asked what we should do, the guy in charge of the investigation said they've already spoken to both your sister and her husband so they are well aware of the investigation"  
The brunette frowned and put down her fork "Nothing's been said, if she's told Mom, she hasn't told me anything"  
Gail put her silverware down, she reached over and put her hand on Holly's "I seriously doubt your mom knows anything" she threaded their fingers together "Traci and I only found out yesterday"  
The brunette pulled a face and pick up her fork with her free hand "So what do you plan on doing if he says anything tonight?" She ate some pancake.  
"Well" the blonde said picking up her fork as well "Make a scene basically, tell him how inappropriate it is, very very loudly"  
Holly chuckled and shook her head "I love you" she said.  
Gail squeezed her hand then let it go in favour of eating, she gave her lover a sly grin and went back to her food.

 

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The couple were at the restaurant two hours before the party to help Matt get set up, well Holly helped, Gail sat and watched. Once everything was ready, the siblings sat down with the blonde and had a drink "I'll get them cooking soon" Matt said "Most of the prep is done" he added and took a long drink of his beer.  
"Thank you for this" Gail said.  
"Thanks for giving me the chance to impress your mom" he said back.  
"Good luck with that" the blonde said smirking as she drank her can of coke.  
Matt shot a look at his sister "We've told you Elaine Peck is not an easy woman to impress" she said.  
Before anymore could be said the front door of the restaurant opened, Sophie ran in launching herself at Gail "Careful" the blonde said moving her leg and grabbing her just in time to stop it hurting her.  
"Sorry" the girl said looking towards the door as Trisha and Kira made their way in.  
"Sorry ladies, this one was a little excited" the foster mother said.  
"No problem" Holly said as the young girl came to her and jumped up, the brunette caught her easily.  
"I've actually had something come up so I'm sorry I won't be able to stay, but Kira will be able to drop her to me later on this evening" Trisha explained.  
"That's okay" Gail answered as Holly was too busy speaking animatedly with the little girl "I'm sorry you can't stay too"  
"When you've got a free lunchtime we'll have coffee" Trisha said, she said her goodbyes and left.  
"Have a seat" the blonde said to Kira shifting her braced leg off the available chair at the table "How have things been?" She asked.  
Before she could answer, spoke "We're gonna take Soph on a tour of the restaurant, we won't be long" she said and the siblings disappeared with the little girl.  
Now alone the other woman answered "Good as they can be, I've got a place and I've managed to get through most of my sisters stuff, Sophie's pretty excited about moving in with me sometime soon, I'm just...." She hesitated.  
"Your not ready yet?" Gail asked.  
"I'm ready to be a mom to her, it's not that, I've only just found out about Trina's death and I feel like I need to deal with that so I'm fully ready for Sophie" Kira had her head down wringing her hands in her lap.  
"Hey" the blonde said "I get it, you want to be the best you can be when you take this on, thing is though, you have a part of your sister right there" she said pointing to the door as the trio made their way back in "Don't forget that"

 

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Within about an hour most of the guests started to arrive, it wasn't a huge party but enough to crowd the dining room of the restaurant, waitstaff were serving Hors d'oeuvres while the guests mingled around. Holly's parents had arrived early and we're currently talking to Matt while sitting at a table near the kitchen, when Gail saw her parents walk in "My parents are here" she said to Holly as she grabbed her crutches. They met them at the door and led Elaine and Bill over to the table the Stewart's were seated at "Wendy, Jack, I'd like to introduce you to my parents, Elaine and Bill Peck, Mom and Dad these are Holly's parents" they greeted each other.  
Once they were seated at the same table, Holly looked to Gail who nodded "Before dinner we would like to discuss with you the date for the wedding, we're hoping to have it by the end of January next year" both mothers looked shocked.  
"That's only 3 months away" Elaine stated.  
"We don't want to wait but we both want an actual wedding so we decided to do it as quick as we could, I've done some research and we can get it done in that space of time" Gail explained "We could just elope but we want you all there" she added.  
Her fiancee moved next to her and put her hand on the blondes, on the handle of her crutches "It's what we want"   
"Gail, really, to plan an event that big.." The superintendent started.  
"No not big, no influential people, no mayor, just Holly's and my friends and our families, we want to do this our way, we can do it our way in that space of time" Gail said cutting her off.  
"We don't have anything on the last Saturday in January" Wendy said looking at her phone.  
Elaine sighed and pulled out her blackberry "I have a conference in Houston the week after but yes the last Saturday in January should be fine"  
Holly smiled at Gail "So we've agreed on the 31st of January?" She asked, both women nodded.

 

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Everyone was seated and dinner was served, Gail and Holly had just originally wanted like a party type atmosphere but leaving it in Matt's hands it had become a sit down meal, Jill, her husband and children had arrived just as everyone was seated for dinner so had not been introduced to anyone and nothing had been said yet.  
They had seated Sophie and Kira on their table with Traci, Steve and Leo so the little girl would feel more comfortable and might even talk to the young boy "Gail, why do you have that on?" Leo asked pointing to her brace.  
"She got hurt catching a bad guy" Sophie answered proudly for her "He's in jail now"  
The adults at the table shared a smile as the children fell into conversation "So which one is your sister?" Steve asked.  
Holly discreetly pointed to the table near their parents "Over there, they turned up late enough that we haven't even said hello yet"  
"Well this is gonna go down well then" he stood and tapped his knife on his glass getting everyone's attention.  
"Wait" Gail said in a panic.  
"What?" Steve mumbled to her.  
"Holly's doing that" she growled through gritted teeth, as she had wanted the brunette to make the announcement.  
"I'm introducing her idiot" he said back and rolled his eyes.  
"Oh" the blonde said and blushed.  
Holly shook her head at her fiancee, she picked up her hand and threaded their fingers together.  
Now the minor panic was over, Steve spoke "I guess some of you are wondering why you were invited here tonight, well I'm not going to tell you" he said with a smile "But Holly here I believe has a story to tell you that will clear everything up"  
The brunette kissed Gail's hand and stood "I really think Gail should be the one telling this story but I've been told that she has a tendency to vomit when she speaks publicly and I don't know about you I would rather keep the amount of times I see her vomit to a minimum so I offered to tell it. As you all know my lovely girlfriend here was working the recent serial killer case but one Monday morning she'd volunteered to do a traffic stop with the other officers from 15, now I won't got into too many details lets just say, she realised one of the stops was the killer and managed to save a girl, getting her leg broken and a concussion in the process, now I'm at work putting evidence in storage when I turn around and see the lovely Officer Oliver Shaw" Oliver stood and took a bow, causing a giggle to run through the group "standing behind me with blood on him. Of course I panic then he tells me she's okay and I need to go to the hospital. We get to the hospital to be greeted by a completely frazzled nurse who, I later found out had been subjected to a tirade from a drugged up Gail, anyway I walk in the room here is this one" she said shaking the blondes hand she was still holding, she looked at her fiancee as she spoke "out of it on pain killers, she tells me she's okay, says she's sorry she scared me then she asked me to marry her. After I spent a few minutes telling her off for her timing, I said yes" applause broke out on the table Oliver and company was at which spread across the group. Holly who was smiling down at Gail leaned over and kissed the blonde then stood back up, everyone quietened "So tonight is our engagement party and the wedding were hoping to have at the end of January so keep the 31st open" she sat down.  
Oliver stood "A quick toast to our favourite law enforcement couple, Gail and Holly"  
"Gail and Holly" most of the room repeated then returned to general conversation.  
"How do you think that went over?" Gail said looking towards where her fiancees sister and husband were sitting.  
"Won't take long to find out" Holly said as her sister stood and went to Jack and Wendy's table.

 

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Now that dinner was done, some of the tables were cleared to make room for a small dance floor, the bar was open and music was playing. The couple they were celebrating had stuck together most of the night, going from group to group, trying to spend even time with everyone, they had said goodnight to Sophie and Kira, as the little girl was falling asleep, then Rachel and a few other of Holly's friends had taken her aside to talk. Gail needing another drink had headed over to the bar, as the bartender got her coke she felt a hand touch her back "So Holly certainly found a hot one this time" the male voice said.  
"I'm guessing you are Andrew" the blonde said, trying unsuccessfully to move away from his hand, as she couldn't move sideways easily.  
"Yea I'm Jill's husband, I can't believe Hol is gonna get married and to a chick, I figured she'd realise she was going for the wrong team eventually" he said.  
"Real nice thing to say to your future sister in law" Gail pointed out, she turned towards him, effectively getting his hand off her back "I should get back to Holly" she said, she put the can of coke in her pocket and grabbed the handle of her crutches.  
Before she could leave Andrew grabbed her arm "You know I think you and Holly just need the right man to turn you back" he tugged her arm close to him so he was pressed against her side.  
"Let me go" she warned, she was starting to shake.  
He ignored her and looked her up and down "maybe while we're in town the three of us could hook up for some...."   
Before he could finish Gail's fist hit his jaw, causing one of her crutches to hit the ground, there was a gasp from the people close to them, the second hit was to his nose, he dropped the ground on his rear end. By then Steve had a grabbed her from behind "LET ME GO" she screamed, trying to use the left over crutch on her arm to hit him, she lost it in the process "HE DESERVES IT" she yelled as he picked her up around the waist.  
Holly appeared at their side, she took Gail's face in her hands "it's okay" she said, the far off look in the blondes eyes made her realise what was really happening, whatever had transpired between them had set off a panic attack or flashback in her lover "In there" she said pointing to the VIP room, she and Gail had their proposal dinner in.  
Steve nodded and picked up his now sobbing sister and carried her bridal style from the room. He was followed by, their parents and Holly's.  
The brunette turned to her brother in law "Get up" He was on the floor with her sister next to him , she realised her nieces were nearby "girls this is Traci and Leo, they are gonna watch you while Mom, Dad and I have a chat" she said sweetly. Jill said nothing just helped her husband to his feet, Holly picked up Gail's crutches and pointed to the room and they went without argument.

 

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Holly stalked in behind her sister, she went straight to her fiancee, who had been put in a chair. Her mother was currently standing in front of her "Holly" Gail said as soon as she saw her, Elaine moved aside.  
The brunette squatted in front of her "Hey, you doing okay?"  
There were tears in the blondes eyes "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, one second I was turning away from him and the next Steve was picking me up" she looked to Andrew whose nose was bleeding "Did I?" She asked pointing to him.  
Holly nodded and stood, she kissed Gail's head as she did and placed the crutches next to her.  
Unable to hold her tongue any longer Jill spoke "What the hell Holly? What right did she have to hit him?" She looked at her husband "I should press charges"  
"Really, please, call the police" Elaine said "half of the local division is in the other room, who do you think they'll believe, you or their own officers?" She looked in her bag and pulled out her badge "or their Superintendent?" She said as she showed her the badge, once the woman had eyed it she put it away and stepped back.  
Knowing she would get nowhere with that threat she changed tactics "Well Holly you picked a real psycho this time"  
"ENOUGH" Holly yelled getting in her sisters face "I am so tired of all this crap" she threw up her hands "I really can't believe you" the brunette bent down as Andrew was sitting in a chair next to his wife and pushed on her brother in laws nose, it didn't crunch under her finger but he yelped in pain anyway "it's not even broken" she grabbed his jaw "What did you do to her?" She asked.  
Andrew flushed with anger, pushing the doctors hand away "I was just talking to the bitch when....."   
Before Holly knew what was happening, Steve was coming over the top of her, trying to hit him. She pushed him backwards, to where Gail was sitting with Elaine on one side Wendy on the other "Did you hear what he said out there?" She asked him quietly.  
The red head looked at her, he was bright red and angry "No but he had her by the arm and pulled against him, I was going over to stop it when she punched him"  
The brunette looked to her mother "Andrews behaviour has to stop, Gail doesn't need to be subjected to that" Wendy said as she put her hand on the blondes shoulder to comfort her.  
Holly took this as permission to do what she wished, she turned and went to her sister "When I came out to you all, your response was, it's a phase, it's not. No matter what you believe, no right man will ever change that as I've met the right person for me and she's right there" she said pointing to Gail.  
"I've never.." Jill started.  
"No, this isn't your turn to talk" the brunette said cutting her off "Every time we fight, you get to say your piece and I shut my mouth and keep the peace for everyone, not anymore" she took a breath "I do not and have never flirted with your husband, I find him repulsive and the fact that every time I've bought someone home he's felt the need to proposition us to a threesome is not funny it's sexual harassment" she pointed to Gail "neither of you have any idea what that wonderful woman has been through, I know that you wouldn't care because you don't care about anybody else but yourself, you only ever do anything if you benefit from it" she looked at her fiancee again, then back to Andrew "You held onto her and then offered to have a threesome with us" he didn't speak and wouldn't meet her eyes "You think that's funny?" She asked her sister.  
"It's only a joke, it's his way of dealing with things" Jill tried to explain.  
"Dealing with what?" She asked angrily "It's not funny, he is essentially saying that if one time a yes was given he would cheat on you, do you even realise that?" She looked between them "You don't do you, you really think it's a joke" she asked.  
"Look Holly, I don't care what you think about him, he's my husband"  
"I don't care about your husband, honestly I couldn't give a fuck if he dropped if the earth tomorrow, what I do care about is the fact that his actions and behaviour resulted in my fiancee having a panic attack" Holly shook her head, she walked away from them and back to Gail "Just go" she said squatting in front of her lover, she took her hand and looked at the bruises that were already forming.  
"Here" Matt said, handing her an ice pack, she had no idea he had been there.  
"Thanks" the brunette said, putting the ice on her hand.  
"I think you should go" he said to his other sister "this is my place of business and we reserve the right to eject customers for bad behaviour"  
"Matthew, this is ridiculous, did you hear what she said?"  
"Yes I did and I think a punch to the nose and a short verbal tirade are the least of what you two deserve so in the interest of settling things down, I'm asking you to go" he said, he looked to their parents, who seemed more worried about Gail than their own daughter.  
Jill moved away from her husband and stood in front of her brother with her arms folded "What, do you have something more to say too, might as well say it because I tell you now I won't be going to that farce of a wedding next year"  
The blonde went to stand, even if she had trouble doing so, Elaine's hand on her shoulder stopped her.  
Matt sighed "Do you really want to do this now?"  
"This is just stupid, we came up here to visit, assuming, because we received an invitation that we were welcome but I can see that you only bought us here to confront us" Jill said, she moved past her brother to Holly who had stood behind him "You need to realise how disgusting this so called relationship is with that Psycho really..."  
Before anyone knew what happened and she could say anymore, Elaine had taken her by the arm, pulling her away from the brunette "You have been asked twice, nicely, to leave, you chose to ignore that" she walked her over to where Andrew was sitting "I will not stand here and listen to you call my daughter names and insinuate that hers and Holly's relationship is anything but normal" she tugged her closer "You will leave within the next two minutes or I will be making two phone calls, one to bring some on duty officers here to arrest both you and your husband for harassment and slander. The second call will be to the fraud squad" she released Jill roughly, she grabbed Andrew by the arm and pulled him to his feet. At the mention of the fraud squad, the pair had paled. Elaine held onto him "I know exactly what you have been up to, you go anywhere near my daughter or my daughter in law again and you will find out exactly what I'm capable of" she shoved him into his wife, he was looking almost sick "Leave"  
"Mom" Jill said almost panicked.  
"Just go" Wendy said "I'll call you in the morning"   
The couple left, Elaine and Bill following to ensure they left, Holly turned her full attention to Gail, she went back to her and squatted at her side "Are you alright?" She said resting her hand on her lovers cheek.  
"I'm okay, my hand hurts but watching my mom scare the crap out of them is something I'll never forget" the blonde said with a grin.  
The brunette smiled back "I must say I did enjoy that" she gave Gail a quick kiss, then picked up her already bruising hand.  
The blonde winced "Ouch" she said pulling her hand back.  
"Let me look" she said holding her hand out, she poked and prodded, Gail complaining the whole time "I think we should get it x-rayed"  
"Great, aren't I broken enough" the blonde said as she got to her feet, Wendy offered her the crutches, she took them. As soon as she rested her weight on her hand she gasped "You've gotta be kidding me" she said pulling her hand to her chest.  
"Yea I'm pretty sure you've broken something" Holly explained, she pulled out her keys and handed them to Steve "The wheelchair is in the back"

 

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"This sucks" Gail said, she was sitting on a bed in the emergency ward of the hospital, waiting to see the orthopaedic surgeon.  
"You shouldn't punch people" Holly said, she was holding the blondes other hand.  
"I don't even remember hitting him Hol, somehow I don't think I could do anything about it, he shouldn't have touched me anyway" she said frowning.  
"Honey, I was joking, he did the wrong thing, your mom certainly let him know it too" the brunette reassured her running her thumb over Gail's hand "Anyway it doesn't matter, that fight has been coming and he got what he deserved"  
Before any more could be said, Dr Gordon came in "Well Officer Peck, I was hoping the next time I saw you it would be on Monday to approve physical therapy for your leg not put a cast on your hand" he put his iPad on the table over the bed and showed them the X-ray "You have four fractures in your hand, three in the metacarpal attached to your middle finger and one in the one attached to your index finger, they are only cracks and haven't broken right through" he smiled at the blonde "I'd hate to see the other guy"  
"He had a hard head" Gail mumbled "So now I have a broken hand"  
"Unfortunately yes" he said turning off the iPad "Now, I will put a brace on instead of a cast but you need to reduce the use of your right hand so back to the chair till Monday and if your gonna be able to put weight on your leg again you can use one crutch, but until I get a proper look at that leg for tonight and tomorrow, wheelchair only, and try to keep the use of that hand to a minimum because the pain will kick your ass if you don't" he walked to the door "I'll get a brace for you, try not to break anymore bones while I'm gone"  
Gail stuck her finger up at him, he laughed and left "This sucks" she said again sitting back, she looked over at Holly "Your being quiet, you okay?" She asked and squeezed her hand.  
The brunette sighed and gave her a sad smile "You know I was worried about you going back to work and being at risk, turns out meeting my family is more risky" she dropped her eyes down "You know when I invited them it wasn't really to cause a problem, I wanted my sister to want to be there, you know, want her to be happy for me" she looked back at the blonde "I guess I should stop expecting her to actually act like she's my sister" Gail knew her future wife we'll enough that as much as she was telling her this, she was also verbalising for herself so she just held her hand and let her talk "I love her you know, she's my sister but I don't like who she is now and I can't change that"  
"Why didn't you say something earlier?" The blonde asked.  
"Because it's not just Andrew, there has always been animosity between us, she has a problem with my sexuality, she hates that I became a doctor and she didn't do anything like that, she's jealous of my relationship with mom" Holly sighed again "The list goes on, I've just hit a point in my life I don't want to deal with her shit anymore" she rubbed her thumb on Gail's hand "I was always the bigger person, the one to walk away, the one to bite my tongue but after tonight, I'm done"  
"Even if your mom wants you to try?" The blonde asked, knowing that Wendy, more than likely, would want them to interact with Jill at some stage.  
"I guess for her I'll try, just not sure It will work"  
Before anymore could be said, Dr Gordon returned.

 

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The next morning, Gail woke with a start, her hand was throbbing and Holly wasn't there, she sat up and looked around the room, it was just after 8. Figuring the brunette was up and downstairs, the blonde grabbed her crutches. After visiting the bathroom, she realised there were murmuring voices down the stairs and very slowly headed down.  
When she reached the bottom step, she saw most of the Stewart clan in the living room "Morning" she said as she left the crutches at the stairs and hopped to the wheelchair and sat down.  
"Honey, you should have called out, Matt could have bought you down or I could have helped" Holly said putting down her coffee and going to her, she bent down and gave her a kiss, Gail grabbed her head holding her there for a few seconds.  
"Morning" the blonde said when she let her go.  
The brunette was blushing "Morning" she said and went into the kitchen in a daze.  
The blonde slowly made her way into the sitting room, joining Holly's parents and brother "I'm assuming your discussing last night"  
"We were, how's your hand?" Jack asked.  
"Cracked in four places" the blonde said looking at the brace, she could see the motley bruising on the two fingers "that loser has a hard head"  
"There is one thing I need to ask you, what was your mother talking about the fraud squad for last night?" Wendy asked "When I asked Jill she... well essentially ignored the question"  
Gail blushed slightly "Well, my mother has a tendency to run background checks on anyone we get involved with and when I heard the stories about Andrew I decided to take a leaf out of her book and do it to him, see if anything came up"  
"And I'm assuming something came up?" Holly's father asked.  
"Yea, not on the standard check but there was a red flag with the fraud squad, I didn't find out much but there is an ongoing investigation into his business, I'm not sure what the results will be, I would say my mother would know more, one thing I do know is that they've spoken to both Andrew and Jill and they are aware of the investigation"  
"My god" Wendy said "I don't really like the man but he's her choice and I have to respect that"  
"I get that" the blonde said with a sigh.  
"We both get that" Holly added as she sat down "But I don't how much peace keeping is going to be happening now"  
"Well, part of the reason we're here this morning is Jill turned up at the house at 5 this morning" her mother explained "We talked for a while, at first it was her complaining about Gail hitting Andrew"  
"I told her she had no idea what he had done, that he set something off in her, that she would never hit him unless he deserved it, that it's not in her" Matt said interrupting her story "I didn't tell her about the.... I just hated hearing her go on like that" he blushed.  
Gail smiled at him, she loved hearing that he defended her "Thank you" she said, he blushed heavier.  
"After Matt said that she started talking about you, that she tries not to fight and all the usual stuff" Wendy continued.  
"If this is heading to a 'you need to look the other way and ignore it until the next time' don't bother, right now the only way I will even talk to her would be with a therapist present, she needs to know how fucked in the head her and that ass she married are"  
"Holly" her mother scolded.  
"Mom, really, after last night, he set Gail off in a panic attack, now she's got a broken hand to add to a broken leg, that alone is enough for me to want to stay away but then she refers to our relationship as disgusting and that our wedding and in turn marriage is a farce" she sat back in her seat crossing her arms "Do you really expect me to be in the same room with her without saying anything?"  
"Holly you know I can't..."  
"Take sides, I know but just don't expect me to be anywhere near her anytime soon" the brunette said   
"Fair enough" her mother said.

 

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A while after Holly's parents left and Matt had gone to work, Gail was asleep on the couch and the brunette was sitting on the other couch with her laptop on her lap, she'd been asked by her publisher to consider writing her book about the Allen Case, she wouldn't be able publish until after the trial was done but she had started putting things together to see if it would work. She'd been working for about an hour when there was a knock on the door, not wanting to disturb the sleeping blonde, she put her computer on the table and jumped up. She opened the door to Elaine on the other side "Hi" she said, a little shocked "Gail's asleep but would you like a cup of tea?" She offered.  
"I'm actually on my way to an appointment, I just wanted to see how she was" the red head explained.  
The brunette stepped aside, Elaine came in, Holly led her to her sleeping daughter. She watched the older woman rest her fingers on her forehead, she leaned down and kissed the same spot. After that they headed into the kitchen "Her hand?" She asked softly.  
"Four individual fractures in two bones, she'll be in the brace for at least six weeks" Holly explained "She's back in the wheelchair until Monday, she has another check up with her leg then and hopefully will be able to start physical therapy and will be able to walk on it so she can use a crutch or a walking stick"  
Elaine nodded "I also wanted to say I was sorry for interfering last night, it was your family, I shouldn't have gotten involved, I just couldn't stand there and listen to her talk about you two that way, it was infuriating"  
Holly leaned on the bench "Don't apologise, it's your right to defend your child"  
"Sorry to change the subject entirely but I do have one question, now that you two are getting married, does that mean there are possible grandchildren in the future?"  
The brunette smiled "I think you should ask your daughter that question"  
Elaine raised an eyebrow "that wasn't denial"  
"No it wasn't" Holly said grinning.  
"Well" the older woman started with a smile "I think next year sounds like it's going to be an interesting one"

 

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I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope it was worth the wait, I'll try my hardest not to leave such a long gap between chapters. Thanks for sticking with me. Please leave a review, it helps keep the muse happy.

Bec oxox

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	18. Chapter 18

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Sorry for the delay in posting, I fell over in the backyard almost two weeks ago and managed to pinch my sciatic nerve around my L5 in my spine causing a lot of pain so I've been off my feet and off my head on Oxycodone. I'm doing ok now back on my feet, still have a numb foot but they think it will come back eventually. Anyway so I've had this finished for a few days but it was written while on meds so needed to wait until I was off the heavy pain killers to edit so it would actually be okay, I ended up changing a whole section that didn't make any sense. I blame the Oxy. Anyway I hope you enjoy.

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Disclaimer - I don't own anything but the characters I create.

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Chapter Eighteen

 

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Gail was sitting in her wheelchair, bored, in front of the TV "Hol?" she called out.  
"Yea" the brunette said from the kitchen, she was currently organising lunch for them, the blonde had woken not long after her mother had left complaining that she was hungry so Holly set about making them some lunch, they were meeting her brother and parents for dinner as they were heading back to New York the next day.  
"I'm bored" Gail whined.  
Her future wife chuckled "So find something to do honey"  
"I can't" the blonde complained.  
"I hate to see what your gonna be like if you end up having a baby" the brunette mumbled under her breath as she walked into the living room, she grabbed a book off the shelf on forensic pathology and put it on Gail's lap "Read" she said.  
Before she could go back to the kitchen the blonde grabbed her hand "Are you okay?"  
Holly sighed and sat "Just tired, after last night and then this morning with Mom and Dad, I'm not exactly looking forward to going over it all again tonight"  
Gail shifted the chair as close as possible, she linked their fingers together on the hand she had hold of "So tell them you don't wanna talk about it anymore"  
"I think that will be hard for them to do, especially Mom, it did only happen last night" the brunette pointed out.  
"I think I remember that somehow" the blonde said jokingly and slightly sarcastic, holding up her braced hand "We should stay home, it's not like we don't have a good reason" she added a little softer, she knew with what happened, Holly's fuse would be very short today.  
"I wanna see Mom and Dad before they go back" she said "I guess they'll be back permanently in a month or so anyway" the brunette sighed again.  
"Come here" Gail tugged on her hand, the brunette shook her head "Don't be silly" she said and tugged her harder, she stood and the blonde pulled her down onto her lap.  
"I'll hurt you" she said as she sat on the other woman's thighs, her legs dangling off one side of the wheelchair.  
"No you won't" Gail said "if you wanna see them, we'll go, ask them not to talk about the bad parts of last night and if they don't listen, my hand and leg will suddenly be too sore and we'll leave" she told her as she ran her braced hand up and down her back.  
Holly put her arms around the blondes neck "I love you" she said softly, resting their heads together.  
"Sweetheart, if you need time take it, don't go if your not up for it, I know you didn't sleep much last night" Gail said worried, she tugged the brunette against her.  
Holly nuzzled into her neck "I can do it, like you said if we need to go, we have a good reason" she said then started kissing the blondes neck.  
Gail shuddered and slipped her hand under the brunettes shirt "You keep doing that and we are gonna spend the afternoon in bed"  
Holly lifted her head up, sliding her hand into the blondes cropped hair "Do you have a problem with that?"  
"Hell no" Gail said as she lifted the hem of the brunettes T-shirt and tugged it over her head.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

After helping Gail bathe and dress, due to her leg and hand she wasn't able to do a lot, thankfully she could still handle the toilet on her own, Holly quickly showered and was finishing off her makeup when the house phone rang "I've got it" the blonde called from the bedroom, she heard her talking for a few seconds, then silence for a bit "Holly?" She called out.  
She put her head out the door "Who is it?"  
"Your Mom" she answered, holding out the phone.  
The brunette raised her eyebrows, she took the phone and covered the mouthpiece "What does she want?"  
"She just said something about needing to change where we were having dinner" Gail explained from her spot in the bed.  
She put the phone to her ear "Mom, what's up I thought we were going to Matt's restaurant?" She said as she went back into the ensuite, half closing the door.  
"We were but Jill doesn't want to go there" Wendy said.  
"Really, did you even listen to anything I said this morning?" Holly said with a sigh "If she's coming we aren't"  
"Holly Rose...." her mother stared but she cut her off.  
"No, it's not happening, not tonight, I'm not putting her through it" she said. There was silence on the other end of the phone, she knew her mother was considering the options, so she continued "Last night should have been fun for us, instead it ended with my fiancée and I at the hospital getting her broken hand x-rayed" Holly closed the lid of the toilet and sat on it "Mom please, I want to see you guys but I just, I can't do this with her tonight, to tell you the truth, I wanted to cancel because I know you'll wanna talk about it, Gail convinced me we should go"  
"I'm sorry, I just..." She sighed "Okay we'll go to your brothers restaurant and I'll work out something to tell Jill"  
"Tell her the truth" the brunette said.  
"Holly" Wendy said.  
"Tell her what you want, I've gotta finish getting ready I'll see you at the restaurant" Holly said cutting her off again.  
"You feel this strongly?" Her mother asked her.  
The doctor sighed "I do love her Mom, she's my sister, I'll always want to try and fix things with her, just not right now at least let us get over last night, then we'll see" she said honestly.  
"Alright love, I'll see you at the restaurant in half an hour" Wendy said giving in.  
"Thank you" Holly said, they said good bye and she ended the call. She put the phone on the sink then put her face in her hands "Fuck" she said to herself, she kicked the side of the bath three times and swore again, her body filling with rage, she started slamming things around.  
Then the voice she knew so well filtered through "I would love nothing more than to come in there and pull you against me so you can fall apart on the bathroom floor like I did months ago but I can't actually get in there right now without a lot of pain" the brunette stopped "Come here baby, please" Gail waited, watching the doorway from her place on the bed "Please" she said again.  
Holly took a steadying breath and moved to the door and opened it, she sniffed, not making eye contact with the other woman, knowing she would cry if she did "She.."  
The blonde waved her over "I know, come here" she said holding out her arms, the brunette sobbed, walked over and collapsed into her fiancees arms.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

As Holly pushed Gail's wheelchair into the restaurant, Matt appeared to help "I've told mom not to bring up Jill tonight so don't be surprised if she fixates on something else" he explained as she gave him control of the chair.  
"Thank you" the brunette said "After what happened last night..."  
"No explanations necessary, not to me" he kissed his sisters cheek "I live with you guys I know how things have been"  
As he pushed the chair, Gail looked up at him and mouthed 'Thank you'

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Any ideas about where you want the wedding to be?" Wendy asked as they started eating, the conversation hadn't exactly flowed as the cloud of last night seemed to have settled over the group.  
Holly looked at Gail then answered "Somewhere quiet, not too public, we had talked about using the my parents house and garden or your house but we think a mutual place would be better" the blonde took her hand.  
"Your brother will probably offer his restaurant" her father said.  
"I already did, they said no but I did get a call from superintendent Peck today asking if we do catering, so right now, I'm happy" Matt said then gave Gail a wink.  
"I only said no because I'm planning on asking you to stand up with me, as Gail is with Steve" Holly explained.  
"Really?" He asked softly.  
The brunette smiled "Who else would I ask?"  
"Awesome" he said.  
"Two male bridesmaids?" Her mother asked "Really?"  
"No we're both having one female and one male" Gail interjected "I'm asking Traci and Steve"  
"Mine are Matt and Rachel" Holly added.  
"Sounds wonderful" Jack said, reassuring his daughter.  
"Are you really sure you can get it organised in three months?" Wendy asked.  
"With a little help, yes, Gail's stuck on desk duty for at least another month, it gives her something else to do, when you get back we'll go dress shopping" The brunette explained, after that the conversation eased up, it became more about dresses than anything too stressful.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

A while later, the couple were curled up on the couch, Holly was leaning on Gail, the blondes leg was up on the back of the couch, out of the way and the brunette was out cold. Gail was happily watching TV while her lover slept against her, she knew due to her new injury, her wife to be hadn't gotten much sleep last night and needed the rest. They were still in the same place when Matt arrived home half an hour later, he had stayed to check on things at the restaurant before coming home "Hey" he said from the foyer.  
"Shhhh, she's asleep" she said in a stage whisper.  
"Sorry" he said a lot quieter "Everything okay?" He asked as he came in the room.  
"She's stressed, between me getting hurt more and your sister, I think she's had it" Gail said as she ran her fingers through the brunettes long hair "I wish I could just cure my mental issues and make our lives easier"  
"Gail, don't" Matt said "You are who you are, your experiences make you who you are, Holly loves you, don't ever think that she doesn't or thinks your a problem, she just worries"  
The blonde smiled at him "I don't mean it that way I just mean I wish I could just fix it, make it so we don't have to deal with it all"  
Holly moved against her, indicating she was awake, then looked up at her "I only wish that to save you the trauma" she moved her hand to Gail's cheek, looking up at her upside down "I love you for who you are"  
"I know baby" the blonde said and kissed her forehead.  
"I'm gonna cry" Matt said, dramatically, breaking the moment, he got up and flopped on top of his sister who laughed along with his future sister in law.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Monday morning arrived, both Holly and Gail were waiting at the hospital for Dr Gordon, the blonde had been once again sedated and had her leg scanned. She was sleeping off the meds while the brunette was doing some work on her laptop, she wouldn't miss any of Gail's appointments if she could help it, so she figured doing some work while she's waiting is the best way to stay up to date.  
"Morning" the doctor said as he came in "She still out huh?" He asked.  
"Yea she didn't sleep very well over the weekend" Holly said "How is she healing?"  
"It's better, the break looks stronger, I'll sign her off for physical therapy and she can slowly start walking on it" he said "That doesn't mean she can go like a bull at a gate, baby steps until she's stronger, her leg will be weak from lack of use"  
Gail stirred and yawned "So doc" she said "Can I start walking?"  
"Slowly, yes" he said "you must take it slow, if you want me to sign you off as fit for duty once your hand heals, you'll be careful and do as you are told"  
"Yes Sir" the blond replied sleepily, she snuggled back into the pillow, her hand came out and took Holly's, almost instantly she was snoring again.  
If Gail's hand had not reached out, the brunette might have doubted that the blonde was even awake when she spoke, she smiled at the doctor, who spoke "I'll organise the therapy and get someone to come get her, it will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for an hour, she can't miss them, she misses one and I will add a week to her leave for every one she misses"  
"I'll make sure she's here" Holly assured him.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly left Gail with the physical therapist, the blonde has asked her to as she knew it would be painful and she was liable to take it out on her. She was sitting outside the room when, the now pale blonde came out in the wheelchair "How was is?" The brunette asked.  
"Painful" Gail answered with a pout as she moved over to her, Holly gave her a kiss and stood to greet the therapist.  
"Hi, you must be Holly, I'm Mike I'll be working with Gail for the next four weeks or so" he said cheerfully, holding out his hand.  
"How did she go?" She said shaking his hand.  
"Good, her leg and knee are pretty weak, she's not ready for one arm crutches yet, hopefully by the end of next week, I gave her a list of exercises to do that you'll need to help with" he released her hand and rested it on the blondes shoulder "I know it hurts but you'll get there" he patted her shoulder, smiled at her and went back into the therapy room.  
Gail shot Holly a filthy look "He is worse than Chloe" she growled and rolled away.  
The brunette, at first, tried to stop herself laughing but gave up and followed her down the hallway.

0-0-0-0-0-0

After the her PT session, Holly had dropped Gail at work and the blonde had been like a bear with a sore head for the rest of the morning. She had only been reasonable with the people off the street, any officers who dared approach her had their heads bitten off, even Chris had requested to be put in booking to escape her. Realising what was happening, Frank send Oliver to take her to lunch before she killed someone.  
"Peck, you and me, lunch" her ex training officer said.  
"I'm not really in the mood" the blonde grumbled not looking up from her paperwork.  
"That's kinda the point" he said, he walked over behind her and took hold of the handles of the wheelchair "You are with me for the afternoon"  
Gail folded her arms as he pushed her away from the front desk "I'm not suppose to be on the street for at least four to six weeks" she said.  
"So?" Oliver asked "I've cleared it with Frank, you and me are patrolling this afternoon" He told her as he wheeled her to the equipment room.  
"Holly won't like it" She said looking up at him.  
"That's being taken care of"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Holly?" Traci called out as she came into the doctors office at the morgue and couldn't see her.  
"In here" the brunette called from a room across the hall.  
The detective walked into the storage room "This for the Allen case?" She asked.  
"Yea" Holly said with a sigh, she was sitting at the desk going through the evidence she would need to testify "I've had a quiet day so I thought I'd get it ready, I know it won't go to trial for another six months but better to be prepared"  
Traci nodded and leaned on the door, she held up an evidence bag "Can you do a DNA comparison for me?"  
The brunette put the evidence she was cataloging away and stood "Sure" she said taking the bag and heading into the lab, with Traci following.  
"Gail's been in a bad mood today" the Detective said as she leaned on a nearby bench.  
The brunette opened the bag and pulled out the two samples, she started working "She had her first physical therapy session this morning and he's a very cheery person"  
Traci laughed "Poor guy doesn't know what he's in for" the doctor gave her a look "Sorry" the detective said and cleared her throat, she knew the brunette hated it when they picked on her fiancee "Frank asked Oliver to take her out of the station, so he wanted me to give you a heads up that she's out on patrol for the afternoon"  
Holly put down her tools and sat back folding her arms "That's against doctors advice, if anything happens..."  
"She's with Oliver, he'll be careful" Traci tried to reassure her.  
She stood and pulled her gloves off "Careful like the time Ford shot at them?" She stood up walked over to the nearby bench, she leaned on it and folded her arms again.  
"Holly, this is...."  
Holly, put her hand up and cut her off "I know it's her job, I'm just happy for the last five weeks and for the next six, she on desk duty and not out taking risks, I know she will be again eventually, it's just nice not having to worry for a while" she said, with a sigh, she went back and sat down and started working again, knowing it was the best thing for her to do.  
"I know, I've been there. I had them tell me about Jerry and now with, Steve I'm waiting for the same thing, everyday, but the problem is, I love the idiot" Traci said with a smile.  
"Hard not to isn't it" the brunette said, looking up with a half smile.  
"He'll take care of her, she just needed to get out today"  
"It's okay I get it" Holly said and focused on the tests.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"How the hell am I suppose to help if something happens, I can't even walk" Gail said as they travelled downtown, she was enjoying getting out but was concerned that she might hinder her friend from doing his job safely.  
"Darlin, do you really think we're gonna go into a situation with you unable to walk?" He said with a chuckle as he drove "We are getting some lunch and coffee then, we are going to visit your lovely lady and eat with her and after that we will probably just patrol for a while" he slowed to a stop at a red light and looked at her "I figured you needed to get out for a while"  
The blonde eyed him for a second "You were instructed to take me out" her gaze narrowed "By who?"  
"Half the division, you bit just about everyone's head off today" when the light changed, Oliver pushed on the gas "I get that your frustrated Darlin but you can't just take it out on everyone"  
"I'm not frustrated" Gail mumbled as she played with the brace on her hand "I just...." She sighed "I can't seem to get things right, first I break my leg, now my hand, I can barely dress myself, let alone drive anywhere and that idiot I do my physical therapy with is a Price clone. I'm in agony trying to move my leg and he's all 'you got this, you can do it' it's just..." she shuddered "four weeks of that no thanks"  
"Talk to them, maybe they can find a less enthusiastic person" Oliver suggested, trying not to grin at his complaining friend "Good to hear your injuries haven't hurt your attitude though"  
The blonde gave him a half grin "Even Holly can't get rid of that completely"  
"Frank tells me your setting up a meeting with that girl you saved" he said changing the subject.  
"Anna Michaels" Gail said with a nod "I contacted her lawyer today, he's arranging a day for her to come to 15"  
"You sure?" He asked, concern lacing his voice "I mean last time..."  
"Last time, I had no warning and was in a lot of pain" she said cutting him off "I really think I need to do it, for me"  
"I get it, sometimes you need to talk to people who've been through something similar" Oliver said.  
"No, I've spoken to other kidnap victims, I talk to you all the time" she said with a slight smile then sighed, her smile disappearing "Sometimes I think if Jerry had survived and...." She took a shaky breath "if I could thank him and he got to continue living, maybe I'd be a bit better in myself" she paused and sighed again "Maybe not, maybe I'm just really fucked up anyway" she was picking at invisible lint on her pants, He let her talk not saying anything "I want to do this, try and help her get through the trauma, maybe it will help me too" before anymore could be said the blondes phone rang.  
She pulled it out and answered it "Peck" she said "Tomorrow evening? If it's the only time then sure, at your lawyers office or 15?" Oliver watched her talk "We could meet at my therapist office if that's more suitable, I would have to clear it with her and call you back but it would probably be good for us both if she facilitated it" she paused while the other person spoke "Sure I'll text through the confirmation and the address, thanks again for the chance to meet her" she said goodbye and ended the call.  
"Anna?" He asked.  
"Her mother, she wants to meet me tomorrow, she has lawyers and court for the rest of the week, I need to organise to meet at 7 tomorrow night with my therapist" she pushed a few buttons on her phone to make the call.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Hol?" Gail called out to Holly as she rolled into her office. There had been urgent call on the radio after Oliver had helped her from the squad car, so the blonde had offered to stay so he could check it out as they were the closest car. She'd headed into the building with the coffee and food in her lap.  
"In here" the doctor called from the autopsy room.  
Gail wheeled herself over, to the room across the hall "Homicide?" She asked.  
"Natural causes, unless there was medical negligence" the brunette replied as she weighed the woman on the tables heart, she left the heart on the scale and pulled off her gloves and apron. She turned off her voice recorder then went and stood in front of the wheelchair "Hey" she said and ran her fingers through the Gail's still cropped hair.  
The blonde grabbed her hand and tugged, Holly leaned down "Hi" the officer said and gave her a soft kiss.  
"I hear you've been upsetting people" she said as she kissed Gail's nose then stood back up. The blonde shrugged as the brunette played with her cropped hair again "Give me ten minutes to finish this up and we'll eat"

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly took a long sip of coffee "God I've missed you bringing me this" she moaned. They were sitting on the couch in the doctors office.  
"Keep moaning like that and we'll have to lock the door" Gail said with a sly grin.  
The brunette rolled her eyes but gave her a smile "Did you hear back from Anna's lawyer?"  
The blonde nodded "Her mom called me, we're meeting at Janine's office at seven tomorrow night"  
Holly watched her for a beat "I thought it would be later in the week?" She asked taking a bite of the sandwich Gail had bought her.  
"The rest of the week is full of court rubbish, I thought I'd have more time too but maybe I'm better not having time to over think it" as the blonde went to bite into her own sandwich, her phone rang, she sighed and sat it on her lap, she picked up the phone with her good hand.  
Holly ignored the phone call, more than likely it was Oliver telling her what was happening with the call he went on as she'd turned off her radio, she looked at Gail's braced hand, the bruising was starting to travel down her fingers, she reached out and lifted the hand, the blonde glanced at her but went back to her call. The brunette undid the brace and looked over the broken hand, it was black and blue and swollen, she put the brace back on and did it up.  
"So what's your assessment Doc?" Gail asked with a smile, having finished her call.  
"I'm sorry" Holly said "My family sucks"  
"No your sister and her husband suck, your family is awesome" the blonde said "how's it looking?"  
"Badly bruised, swollen, we'll ice it tonight when we get home" she said resting her hand on the braced one "what's Oliver up to?" The brunette asked.  
"Nothing bad, a fight between two drunks, he's dropping one off at 15 then he'll pick me up" Gail explained then finally got to bite her sandwich.  
"I've missed this" Holly said "having you spend lunch with me"  
"Maybe I should be a bitch at work more often, obviously everyone knows the way to calm me down is to bring me to you" the blonde said and winked at her.  
"I don't know what they're talking about Honey, your in a great mood" the brunette said, sarcasm lacing her tone, she leaned in and gave her a kiss "What was going on?" She asked after she pulled back.  
Gail shrugged as she chewed her sandwich "I wasn't feeling very tolerant after this morning"  
"He's only trying to help you" Holly pointed out knowing she was talking about her physical therapist.  
"I know that, I'm just sick of pain right now" Gail confessed "it's exhausting"  
"It is" Holly put her sandwich and coffee on the nearby table, she did the same with the blondes "Come here" The brunette turned and her lover moved between her legs, the blondes back leaning against her front.  
"Mmmm" Gail murmured as she sagged into her wife to be.  
Holly wrapped her arms around her holding her close "I know the pain is a lot to handle but there is an end to it, in a little over a month you should be almost pain free, they're pretty sure you won't have any residual issues and will be ready to go back on duty" she said softly "You can call me anytime, I'll come see you if you need me" she gave her a kiss on her temple.  
"I know" the blonde said as she picked up Holly's hand and linked their fingers "I know I'm being a baby about it sometimes..." She sighed.  
The brunette pulled her closer "Your allowed to, just remember when I have a broken leg and hand I'm allowed to complain" She smiled as Gail looked up at her.  
"Hopefully that will never happen" the blonde said as she snuggled back against her.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Evening Ladies" Janine said to the couple as she opened the door for Holly to push the wheelchair in "What happened?" She asked pointing at the blondes hand.  
"A run in with my future brother in laws face" Gail explained.  
"You hit Matt?" She asked shocked as he had been nothing but helpful.  
The brunette couldn't help but chuckle "No, she hit my sisters husband in a panic attack"  
The therapist went to speak but the blonde put her hand up "We'll discuss it Thursday, tonight's about sitting down with Anna and helping her through what I went through"  
"Okay then but it's the first thing we discuss on Thursday"  
Before any more could be said, there was a knock on the door, Janine went to the door "You ready?" Holly asked resting her hand on her fiancees leg.  
Gail picked it up and laced their fingers "Yea, as long as your here I can do anything"  
As the others were guided into the room, the brunette smiled and gave her a quick kiss then stood releasing her lovers hand "Hi, I'm Holly Stewart, Gail's fiancee" she said holding her hand out to Anna's mother.  
She took the offered hand "I'm Rita" she said, she shook the brunettes hand then turned to the blonde in the wheelchair "You must be Gail"  
"It's lovely to meet you" the blonde said offering her hand.  
"It's an honour to meet the woman who saved my daughter" Rita said, she leaned down and hugged Gail, the blonde was so shocked that she hugged back on reflex.  
Holly, noticing her distress, sat back down next to her as the other woman stood back up.  
"How about we all get seated so we can get started" Janine said as she gestured towards the empty couch.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail and Holly were seated on one couch, the brunette having helped her out of the wheelchair and Anna and her mother were on the opposite couch with Janine on a chair to the side "The reason Gail asked to meet you this way is the last time you were introduced she suffered a panic attack"  
"Don't take it personally" Gail said to the young woman "I do it a lot"  
The young girl smiled "They told me you weren't ready and you'd just gotten out of hospital"  
"Sort of" the blonde said "the reason I panicked is when I saw you, all beaten up, it reminded me of when it happened to me"  
Everyone else in the room stayed silent, Holly was holding Gail's hand, who was currently squeezing her hand tightly. They were there so the two could meet and talk so they were trying to just let it happen.  
"What happened to you, did he take you too?" Anna asked, her voice wavering. Her mother reached over and took her hand.  
When Gail didn't speak straight away, Janine spoke "I can explain if you like"  
"No I can do it" the blonde said.  
She looked at Holly for a second "You can do it" she said softly and kissed her hand, now holding her hand in both of her own.  
"I was working an undercover case, these girls were going missing and I fit the profile, so I met this guy that we thought was the killer and busted him. I was staying at a friends place and she was staying with her boyfriend that night. So I called the guy I was seeing at the time to come stay with me. When the doorbell rang, I opened the door thinking it was him and the door hit me in the face, I tried to fight the man off, we smashed around for a while until he choked me and I passed out" she took a shaky breath "when I woke up I was tied to a table and blindfolded, I could hear his shoes as he walked around, when I struggled he'd drug me again, I woke up a few times, one of the times he... he raped me. I don't know how long I was there for but not long after he attacked me he suddenly appeared yelling that I didn't tell him I was a cop and he pulled the IV from my arm and dragged me upstairs" she went quiet for a second, she sighed then continued "When we got upstairs I saw a detective I knew, Jerry" she paused and breathed, she couldn't stop the tears from coming "He jumped on his back and tried to stop him but he over powered him and took me outside. He put me in the trunk of his car and the next thing I knew officers, my friends, opened the trunk and got me out" she wiped a away a few tears with her broken hand, Janine handed her a tissue "They caught him, he's in prison for the rest of his life"  
"What happened to the detective?" Anna asked.  
Gail looked at Holly, she could tell there was no way the blonde could say it, the brunette answered for her "He died, he'd been stabbed, the reason they found Gail was he put his cell phone in the other guys pocket so they could trace him" she explained.  
"I'm sorry" Anna said.  
"It's okay" the blonde said "Because of what happened, we caught him, we stopped him from hurting anyone else"  
"Like you did, if it wasn't for you I would just have been another girl he killed" the younger woman said.  
"I was doing my job, it could easily been someone else" Gail said playing it down.  
"The Detective said you knew who he was because you worked on the case and you recognised him" Anna said calling her on it.  
"That's true the second I saw him I knew it was him" she looked at her fiancee "Can we have a minute?"  
Holly watched her for a second, then stood, she kissed her head "Call out if you need me" she said, brushed her hand over Gail's hair and left the room.  
"Is that okay?" Rita asked her daughter who nodded.  
Janine gave the blondes shoulder a squeeze then followed Anna's mother out and closed the door.  
"When I first saw the picture of Mr Allen I knew it was him, we were gathering the evidence to arrest him but it was such a big case and Holly.." She pointed to the door "She's the forensic pathologist was working hard, making breaks in the case, that morning, I needed a break, because of what I went through it was really getting to me, nightmares and panic attacks, so I took the morning off the case to do the traffic stop, when he pulled up, I knew it was him, I asked for his licence, then asked him to get out and put his hands on the car when I looked in the tray and saw you, I pulled my gun and he shoved me to the ground, I hit my head on the step then the ground, he kicked me so I went under the truck to get away from him, I shot at him turns out I did hit his shoulder, he got in the truck and ran over my leg" she explained "then the other officers stopped him"  
Anna sniffed, tears flowing down her face "How do you handle it, he only knocked me out and got me in the truck but you were held prisoner and...." She stopped not wanting to say it "I have nightmares every night, I can't concentrate"  
Gail tapped the seat next to her and the girl came over "With this case and the anniversary of my own kidnapping, I haven't handled it well at all, this" she said holding up her broken hand "was from when I punched Holly's brother in law at our engagement party on Saturday, he grabbed me and I had a panic attack and lashed out"  
"Oh" Anna said, unsure of what to say "I haven't had that happen"  
"Hopefully you won't" the blonde said trying to reassure her a little "How I'm learning to handle it is I see my therapist once a week, I talk to Holly when I need to and I lean on the people who care"  
"My mom wants me to see a therapist" the young woman said wringing her hands.  
Gail rested her hand on the girls "You should, it helps, they help you deal with what happened" the blonde pulled a card from her pocket "If you want to talk to someone who understands, please call me"  
The girl took the card "He was nice to me" she said "He would say hi when he was fixing the telephone poles outside the boarding house I use staying in when I moved to my share apartment I didn't see him until that day" she sniffed "I was leaving for work and he was outside leaning on his truck, I said hi and he walked over and grabbed me, all I remember was him hitting me, the doctor said he knocked me out, the next thing I knew the police were there and I was being put in the ambulance" Gail offered her a tissue, she cleaned herself up "When I was in the hospital, I heard the police talking about you, that you saved me"  
There was a knock at the door, Janine stuck her head in "Everything okay?" She asked.  
Anna looked at Gail then back to the therapist "Can I ask you some questions if that's okay?"

 

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Janine took Anna and her mother into another room to talk leaving Gail and Holly alone "How did you go?" the brunette asked as she sat next to her fiancee.  
The blonde sighed "I told her what I'd been through since the kidnapping and what happened the day we saved her" she picked up her lovers hand "She told me what happened to her, thankfully he had only just picked her up before we caught him"  
"Are you okay?" Holly asked as she brushed the hair out of Gail's eyes.  
"I will be, I just need..." The blonde looked at her.  
The brunette could see what she needed, she tugged her against her and kissed her head,

 

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Hours later, they arrived home, Holly helped Gail have a bath then had a quick shower herself, the blonde insisted on coming downstairs while Holly made them a cup of tea before bed. The brunette figured it was because she didn't want to be alone "Hey, I didn't think you guys would still be up" Matt said as he came in the front door, he heard the sound of fake gunfire come from the living room "Bad day?" He asked.  
"We met with the girl she saved tonight, it was hard on her" Holly explained.  
"How the hell is she playing with one hand?" He asked.  
"Talent" Gail answered as she rolled into the kitchen "I had to learn how to play one handed when I burnt my wrist otherwise Dov would have beaten me and I wasn't having that"  
Holly smiled and shook her head "I'm assuming your here for cheese puffs to go along with your gaming and tea"  
"Yup" Gail said slapping her ass as her fiancee went to the cupboard to get the stash of cheese puffs she kept.  
The brunette gave her a look as she went "Are you joining her in this game-a-thon?" She asked her brother as she threw the bag of chips to her lover.  
"If I'm welcome" he said grabbing a beer from the fridge, Holly took it from him and gave him the cup of tea she had made him.  
"Always" the blonde turned the chair with one hand, Matt put his tea on the bench and grabbed the handles of the chair "You coming?" Gail asked.  
"I'll bring the tea in and grab some work" The brunette said.

 

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Two weeks later, Gail was out of the wheelchair and finally able to put weight on her leg, she was still using one crutch but was getting around much easier, it had improved her mood out of site. At work she was working on the front desk, when it was quiet she was making calls to start organising the wedding. It was Friday afternoon, she'd spent the morning doing her physical therapy and had just gotten off the phone with the fourth reception place when, Dov came up behind her "I hate this time of year" he said dropping in the chair next to her.  
"Why?" Gail said distracted, she had her iPad open in front of her and was jotting down the details she had just been given.  
"The snow is starting, that means accidents, Christmas and drunks" he said  
"Are you really complaining to me about being out on patrol?" She asked not looking up.  
"Well..." He stopped, then added "You should appreciate that your in here"  
The blonde sighed and looked at him "I've been out of action for six weeks now and I'm facing, at the very least, another four depending on how my hand is healing, I'm going completely stir crazy so I'm trying to channel that into wedding plans but I would much rather just be back to normal and dealing with the stuff your complaining about, so you think I should just appreciate the fact that I was run over by a serial killer and punched my future brother in law in a panic attack, excuse me if I don't" she said, she turned her back on him.  
"What is your prob...." He didn't get to finish the sentence.  
Chris grabbed him by the back of his jacket "Your due back out" he said and shoved him away "Come on man" he said following him "Sometimes I think your just stupid" he added as they left.  
Gail shook her head and chuckled then went back to her planning. Within a minute her phone rang, she looked at the caller ID and smiled "Hey beautiful lady" she said.  
"Hi Honey, you able to have a lunch break?" Holly asked.  
The blonde checked her watch "I'm sure Frank won't mind"  
"I'm just coming back from a crime scene, the body will wait for me to eat" she said "Ten minutes?" She asked.  
"See you then" Gail said already standing, they said there goodbyes, she sent one of the rookies to the desk and headed to the staff sergeants office.

 

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"Hey you" Holly said walking up to the blonde as she stood out in the parking lot of the precinct waiting.  
"Hey yourself" Gail replied as the brunette moved close, she wrapped her arms around her, letting the crutch dangle from her arm.  
Holly smiled as her fiancee leaned against her "How was your physical therapy this morning?" The brunette had an early start that morning and her brother had taken her to her appointment.  
"Good, he thinks I'm on schedule to get off the crutches in another two weeks, then I just have to wait until he clears my hand" the blonde said.  
"That's good" the brunette slipped her hand under the officers heavy jacket "What do you feeling like eating?" She asked.  
"You" Gail said and tugged her into a kiss.  
Holly kissed her for a few seconds, tasting the coffee the other woman had recently had "As much as I feel like that right now, we don't have enough time, how about Thai?"  
The blonde pouted "Fine, but tonight you are all mine"

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"So I've organised to see these four places tomorrow, they aren't too pricey and fit what we were talking about, they all have outdoor venues and a reception hall" Gail explained as she showed her the iPad after eating their lunch.  
"Wow, you've really worked on this" Holly said with a smile.  
The blonde blushed a little and grinned "Well I needed a distraction and considering we want to do this in January it's a productive distraction"  
The brunette slid her hand into Gail's leg under the table "I can think of a few good ones myself"  
The blonde caught her hand "Hey, your the one who said we didn't have time for that"  
"What can I say, hearing you talk about all the things you've done for the wedding just...." She squeezed her leg.  
Gail managed to pry Holly's hand off her thigh "No offence baby but your pretty much permanently horny" she laced their fingers.  
"Well what can I say, I'm marrying the hottest cop in Toronto" the brunette said then dropped a kiss behind her lovers ear.  
"Fuck Hol" the blonde shuddered at the move.  
"Come on let's get going, the quicker we get back to work the quicker I can jump you when we get home tonight" the brunette said with a wink.

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Holly walked into 15 with a purpose, to get her fiancee and get out without getting stuck there or talked into going to The Penny. When she walked in the front door, she smiled, the object of her self given mission was still sitting in her spot at the front desk "Hey sweetheart" Gail said as she saw her "just let me go sign out, get my gear and we'll get out of here" she buzzed her in and hobbled around to greet her.  
Holly grabbed her hips "I have plans for you, no distractions, no friends, no Penny. Matt's even staying away for the night"  
The blonde swallowed loudly "Yes ma'am" she said her voice a little shaky, as she turned to move away the brunette slapped her on the ass.  
Gail turned and looked at her "Go" Holly said with a smile. The blonde shook her head and went.  
As Gail made her way into the locker room, Andy and Chloe followed "You guys coming to the Penny tonight?" Chloe asked.  
"No, we have better things to do" the blonde said.  
"Everyone's coming" Andy added.  
"Don't care, I have other plans" Gail said shortly as she pulled her bag out and closed her locker.  
"Hey" Chloe said "Is everything okay?"  
The blonde sighed loudly "I just wanna go home and have sex with my fiancee if that's okay with you" she burst out and walked away, wanting to get away, knowing she would regret saying that to those two.  
"Too much information" Andy called out.  
"She asked" Gail said gesturing to Chloe as she left.  
As the blonde approached Holly, the brunette took her bag "Run, their trying to get us to go to the Penny" she said as she kept moving.  
Holly saw Traci come out of her office, she gave her a wave and they left.

 

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"You said what?' Holly asked as they got out of the car at home.  
"Well they wouldn't leave me alone, I had to say something to shut them up" Gail said "And anyway, they're gonna think we're doing that anyway when we don't go tonight"  
The brunette thought about it for a second as she pulled their work gear from the car "That's true" she said with a smile. The blonde headed inside as she locked up the car. When Holly reached the kitchen, Gail was headed up the stairs "Where are you going?" She asked.  
"To run a bath, I think I'm fit enough to handle a bath with my fiancee" the blonde answered and disappeared.  
The brunette smiled to herself, dropped their gear on the bench and headed up after her lover.

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"I've missed this" Holly said, they were laying in the bath together, the blondes braced hand was out of the water but they'd taken the brace off her leg. The brunette was under Gail, using a wash cloth to clean the blondes body.  
"Me too" Gail said as she ran her left hand up and down Holly's leg "I'm sorry, I haven't exactly been the easiest person to live with, well pretty much since I moved in, I got sick, then my leg, now my hand"  
"I'm just glad your still here" the brunette said softly and kissed her temple "Please don't dwell on it honey, I don't, in someways I've enjoyed taking care of you" she wrapped both her arms around her "Makes me feel needed"  
"I'll always need you" the blonde said as she rubbed her good hand over her lovers arms "I knew it" Gail said with a sigh "We are one of those couples"  
Holly tickled her side "Very funny"  
The blonde squirmed against her giggling "Stop" she said.  
"No" the brunette said, she tilted her lovers head back and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Without any teasing, Holly's hand went from Gail's side straight between her thighs, she slid her fingers over the wet folds, the blonde broke the kiss with a gasp "Fuck".  
"As you wish" the brunette whispered in her ear and slipped two fingers inside her thrusting slowly at first. Her other hand moved to her breast and played with her nipple, rolling it between two fingers. Even with the water from the bath she could still feel how wet her lover was "Your already wet" she picked up the pace of her movements knowing the blonde was ready.  
"I've been wet and horny since lunch" Gail said then let out a long guttural groan "Holly" she gasped as the brunette pushed a third finger inside of her, thrusting deeper and teased her clit with her thumb. Her hips started moving involuntarily with the pace the doctor had set, making the water slosh out of the bath.  
Holly didn't care she wanted to watch the blonde in her arms come undone "You gonna cum for me?" She asked Gail as she writhed against her.  
"Baby" the blonde panted "Please make me cum"  
The brunette increased the pace after hearing her almost beg, watching her writhe against her wanting to make her go over that peak as quick as possible "Cum for me Peck" she said and bit down on her neck.  
Gail shuddered against her, her back arched as her body gave into the command and the climax tore through her "Hol" she managed to moan as she shook against her lover, the brunette slipped her fingers free and gently guided her through the orgasm circling her clit.  
When the blonde collapsed against her, Holly tilted her head up and kissed her softly "Let's move to the bedroom" she said and brushed the hair from Gail's face.

 

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"OHhhh God" Holly moaned as she came undone again, she shuddered against Gail's mouth. Her fingers buried in the blondes short hair, as the blonde lapped at her clit she tugged on her hair "Too sensitive" she muttered. She moved herself from the head of the bed and collapsed on her side. The blonde moved further up the bed and laid her naked body against the brunettes. Holly tugged her into a kiss, tasting herself on her fiancees lips, she pulled back and studied her for a few seconds "Is there anything you want me to do for you?"  
Confused Gail looked at her "What do you mean, you do everything I need"  
The brunette knew she didn't understand the question because whenever they talked about sex the blonde always got this funny expression until she got comfortable or turned on, which usually happened fairly quickly "No sweetie, I mean sexually"  
Gail flushed red "Well..." She paused for a beat "I'm fairly sure you noticed how quickly you got me off in the bath, I was as bad as a teenage boy" her blush got heavier.  
Holly smiled, there was the funny look she got, she kissed her nose "Well I just took that as a compliment" she picked up the blondes good hand and laced their fingers "What I mean is you've been with guys most of your adult life, I just thought there might be something you want to try"  
Gail suddenly smiled "You mean like a strap on or something?" She asked.  
Holly knew she had reached the turned on stage of the conversation "Yea, I'm happy to do anything you want to try"  
The blonde turned tugging the brunette with her, Holly moved so she was straddling Gail's hips "Actually" the blonde grabbed her lovers ass with her good hand "I think I'd like to try it but like this"  
Holly knew exactly what she meant "You wanna fuck me with a strap on?" She asked "You want me to ride you like this?" She asked grinding her hips down. The woman below her zoned out, obviously imagining it "We'll go shopping for something one day next week" she said, leaned down and kissed the blonde.  
She was up, had pulled on one of the many Toronto P.D. T- shirts the officer owned and was almost to the door before Gail came to her senses "Where are you going?" She asked.  
"To order some dinner, I won't be long" she said and disappeared.

 

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The couple spent the next morning looking at wedding venues. Neither of them said much as they looked just asked a few questions of the people showing them around. Afterwards they stopped at a diner for lunch "So what did you think?" Gail said as they're lunch was delivered.  
"I liked the last one I think, I know it basically looked like a log cabin but it was really modern inside and we could get some really nice pictures around the lake" Holly said as she salted their shared fries.  
The blonde smiled "I thought the same thing, plus it reminds me of that weekend I spent with naughty Dr Stewart at Oliver's cabin" she gave her fiancee a wink.  
The brunette shook her head "Like you need reminding" she said with a smile, she picked up the toasted sandwich in front of her.  
"Hey, you started it last night" Gail said as she looked at the burger in front of her, trying to work out where to attack it from.  
"And if you recall I finished it too" the doctor said as she took a fry.  
"I only passed out for a second" the blonde grumbled as she picked up the burger.  
Holly raised her eyebrow "You were out for a least two minutes" the brunette ate another fry.  
"Not fair anyway I'm still injured" Gail said then took a bite of her burger.  
"Yes because that's why" Holly shook her head "anyway, so we both agree on the last place, they had the 31st completely free so if we want it we'll have to call them back" she pulled out her phone and kept talking excitedly "It's slightly further away from home than we planned, we can stay somewhere else the night before, they did have that cute little cabin for the wedding night so we could stay there but we'll have to look up nearby places for the.." She glanced up at the blonde who was grinning at her, having put her burger down "I was babbling wasn't I?" She said with a blush.  
"I happen to think your nerdy babbling is cute and sexy lunchbox, so please feel free to continue" Gail said as she waggled her eyebrows and took a fry.  
Holly, not caring who saw, stood, leaned over the table and gave her a kiss, she put her hand on her cheek "I love you" she said kissed her again and say back down.  
"I love you too" the blonde said with a smile and continued eating.

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Hope you liked, leave a review let me know what you thought. Holly's Mom pushing about her sister is what my mom does to me when we have fights. It's bloody frustrating. Anyway, much more to come, might do a time jump soon, bring the wedding closer. Anyway I'll get more up as soon as I can.

Thanks for sticking with me

Bec oxox


	19. Chapter 19

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

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Hey people,

I'm sorry that Updating is taking a while, it's cos I've started studying an Computer course so it takes up some time, but I have no intention of stopping this story and I actually hope to post the first chapter of an AU one I've started shortly. I won't bore you with my rubbish and let you get to reading the next instalment.

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Chapter Nineteen

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It was Thursday morning almost week later, Gail and Holly had just been to the blondes therapy session and, in a rare coincidence, both women had the day off work "So what would you like to do today?" The brunette asked as they went to the car.  
"No wedding stuff or work stuff" Gail said as she hobbled to the car "We could always do some shopping?" She said.  
Holly looked at her and the blonde winked "Oh, you mean shopping for that?" She asked.  
"Could make our morning a little more interesting" Gail said wiggling her eyebrows.  
"You really think your physically up to it?" The brunette asked as they got in the car.  
"I'll manage" the blonde said "Where there's a will there's a way"  
"Alright then" Holly said with a smile, she picked up the bottle of water in the console and had a drink.  
"I've never been to a sex shop before" Gail said completely straight faced, making her girlfriend almost spit the water out, she tried to swallow and choked. The blonde hit her on the back, thankfully she hadn't pulled out of the parking spot yet "Are you okay?" She asked concerned.  
"You've never been to a sex shop?" The brunette repeated as she put the water back in the cup holder and started pulling out of the parking lot.  
"Why are you so surprised, I haven't been a lesbian for a year yet, was I suppose to go to one straight away, did I miss a step or something?" The blonde said sarcastically.  
Holly, as she usually did, took Gail's words with a grain of salt. She knew her fiancees reaction was out if embarrassment not from anything nasty, she smiled "It's okay Hun, I'll take the blame when the lesbian council contacts us about how your turning to the dark side is going" she rested her hand on the blondes leg "Honestly, I just thought you would have been that's all, even just through work on a case"  
"No" Gail said smiling, her tone changing, she rested her hand on the brunettes "I'm a sex shop virgin, you'll have to guide me through it"  
"Don't worry, I'll be there to guide you through it"

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They walked across the carpark to the shop, well Holly walked Gail hobbled on the crutch she was still using, the blonde had fidgeted the entire trip "You doing okay there?" The brunette asked, reaching out and brushing her hand over her back.  
"I'm fine" Gail said, too quickly.  
Holly looked at her face "You are bright red honey, I can do this on my own" she was doing her best not to laugh or even smile at the blondes distress, knowing how quickly a slightly stressful situation can turn serious for her.  
The officer stopped "I'm alright Hol, I'm just...."  
"Embarrassed?" The doctor asked resting her hands on the other woman's hips.  
Gail huffed "No" she said, Holly tilted her head at her "Fine yes, I'm worried some one will see me then every one will hear about it and then I'll never hear the end of it"  
This time the brunette chuckled "Why do you think I came to one away from 15's patrol area?" She took the blondes hand "Come on, lets go get this over with"

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"Wow" Gail said as they walked down one of the aisles in the shop "I didn't know there were that many sex toys" Holly chuckled and kissed her temple "What?" The blonde asked slightly indignant.  
"I think it's cute" the brunette said as she moved down the aisle to the strapless toys.  
"What's cute?" Gail asked following her.  
"How innocent you are sometimes" Holly said as she started looking for what she wanted.  
The blonde pouted "I am not innocent"  
"The silly questions you asked me that night at Frank and Noelle's wedding suggest otherwise" the brunette pointed out.  
Gail frowned then looked at the shelf "Strapless, I thought the idea was a strap on"  
"Harnesses can be uncomfortable and these are more pleasurable for both parties" she said picking up a strapless strap on.  
The blonde raised an eyebrow at her and grinned, they were past awkward now "I'll trust to your expert opinion, let's get this one and go home and try it" she winked at her and continued looking.

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They pulled the car up in the driveway to Matt's car and Chris' truck in the driveway "Shit" Gail said "looks like we'll have to wait"  
Holly smiled "It needs sterilising anyway, we'll use one day when we're in the mood and have the house to ourselves"  
When they got inside the brunette took their purchase upstairs while the blonde hobbled into the sitting room to see the two men, sitting in front of a fire in the fireplace, trying to put together Holly's artificial Christmas tree, they had intended on putting it up and decorating it with Sophie that afternoon, obviously the boys decided to start on it early "I'm telling you, these ones go up here and those go down there"  
"What are you idiots doing?" The blonde said as she sat in the couch.  
"Holly pulled this stuff out of storage, so I figured we could get started on it, instead of sitting around doing nothing" Matt said from his spot on the floor, surrounded by tree branches.  
"The branches and the trunk are colour coded, if you look at the ends there is coloured tape" The brunette said as she came down the stairs, having heard the conversation "Chris, are you here for lunch?" She asked as she came and stood behind her fiancee.  
The man checked his watch "I'm not on shift until 4 so yea if that's okay?"  
"If you don't mind ordered in pizza it's fine" Holly said "Any requests?"  
They all shouted different toppings out, the doctor managed to get them all down and made the call. She came back in carrying sodas for each of them, she gave them out "So have you managed to sort it out or do I need to help?" she said sitting next to Gail, the blonde put her braced leg onto her lap.  
"We can do it" Matt said indignantly and started sorting the branches into piles, while Chris managed to get the trunk up on the stand.  
"Yes but will it be done by Christmas?" Gail asked.  
"Yes, wise ass" her future brother in law said back.

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An hour and a few arguments about branch placement later they were seated around the dining table finishing eating the pizza "I could have cooked something" Matt said then took another bite.  
"You cook enough" Holly answered "Anyway we had planned on ordering in before we knew you were here" she explained.  
"It's rare you both have days off together during the week" he stated.  
"It's weird, we've got two days off together next week too" Gail said "I asked Frank, he just said once I'm back on full duty he needs me to take more night shifts than days so he wanted to give us some time together" she shrugged "it was strange"  
"Maybe it was after what happened at the party, maybe he thinks you guys need the time" Chris said "He's been pretty mellow since he came back, don't get me wrong he's the same hard ass just more giving with personal stuff" he explained.  
"Mmmm" Gail mumbled.  
"So when are you back on full duty?" Matt asked, knowing the blonde had been out of action for longer than Holly had initially said she would be.  
"I have an appointment next week for my leg then, one the week after for my hand so hopefully in two to three weeks I'll be cleared" Gail explained.  
He nodded and looked to his sister, he knew she was dreading her fiancees return to full duty, she gave him a tight smile and shook her head, telling him not to continue talking about it. The foursome lulled into silence as they ate until a phone went off "It's mine" Chris said digging it out of his pocket, he checked the screen and then got up and left the room.  
"Wonder what that was about?" Gail said.  
"Denise has been calling a lot, Christian has been asking for Chris and he's not sure if he should get involved again" he explained, knowing Gail already knew most of the situation.  
"Finding out he wasn't his son was part of what...." Holly didn't finish the thought as the tall subject of there conversation returned.  
"I've gotta go, I called my therapist this morning to get an appointment and one just opened up, thanks for lunch guys" he said and left.  
They sat thinking for a minute until Matt spoke "I might get outta here too" he said standing and starting to clean "Give you two some time alone on your day off"  
"No stay" the blonde said "Sophie is coming over after school for a while, we can decorate the tree" he stopped moving and looked at her "Don't..." She said.  
Holly smiled and shook her head, she got up and collected the plates, leaving them alone.  
"You want me to stay, aww I didn't know you felt that way"  
"Shut up" Gail said blushing.  
Matt leaned in so his sister wouldn't hear "I know you love me speed bump" he kissed her head and picked up the pizza boxes.  
The blonde rolled her eyes and headed to the sitting room

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"Hi Holly, where's Gail?" Sophie asked as Holly let her and Trisha in in the front door.  
"On the couch" The doctor said and the girl took off "How's she doing?" She asked the woman as she shut the door.  
"Good" the foster mother said "Kira is trying hard to get to the point she's ready to take her, she's spending her weekends there at the moment and seems to be really enjoying it, I think having her Aunty is great for her but if it hadn't been for you and Gail we may never have found her"  
The brunette smiled "When we decided to do this, we said to each other no matter what happened, even if we found someone, all we wanted was what was best for her, if that's Kira then we're in full support"  
"I do feel bad though, I know Gail had really wanted to be a mom and give her a home" Trisha said as she slipped her coat off.  
"We both did, we're making plans to try to have our own after the wedding" Holly explained and held up the jug from the coffee maker, the other woman nodded "If that's not meant to be we'll possibly adopt"  
"That's great, you'll both be great parents"  
In the sitting room, Sophie was questioning Gail "So you won't have this anymore next week?" She asked pointing at the brace on her leg.  
"Nope it should be gone, this one" she waved her hand "the week after"  
"So your not gonna be hurt anymore?" She asked.  
"Nope"  
Matt walked in the room carrying a box "Hey little bug, you wanna help us decorate the tree?" He said as he put the box in front of the empty tree.  
"Really?" She asked the blonde excitedly.  
Gail grinned at her "Yea of course, I need you to help Matt because of my leg" she said tapping on the brace.  
The brunette man smiled and winked at her over the little girl's head "Yea, You gotta do Gail's part for me"  
"Is that okay?" She asked the blonde.  
"Of course" Gail replied with a soft smile.

 

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Later that night, Holly and Gail are laying in bed, The brunette was wrapped around the blonde from behind, Trisha had left the little girl with them and they ended up having dinner with Sophie and driving her home. Holly was almost asleep when Gail spoke "I was thinking...." She said softly.  
"That's never a good thing" The brunette said, sleepily, tightening her hold on her lover.  
"What are you thinking about doing for Christmas? Last year as with every year I spent Christmas Eve getting drunk at my parents big annual social party and the next day still drinking on the couch playing games"  
"Hoping for better?" The brunette asked, softly kissing her shoulder.  
"Well my mothers already told me we're both expected to at least make an appearance at the party, I'm kinda hoping we can have some of Christmas Day with Sophie and Matt, maybe see your parents?" Gail asked sounding very unsure.  
"Hey, whatever you want to do is good with me" Holly said softly "Come here" the blonde rolled over not really meeting her eyes "What's wrong?" Gail shrugged and slipped back into the brunettes arms resting her head on her chest. Holly kissed her head "Is this about Sophie?"  
There was silence in the room for a few seconds "This should have been our first Christmas with her as a family" the blonde whispered, her fiancee could hear she was fighting tears.  
"Oh Sweetheart" Holly said holding her tighter.  
"Watching her and Matt decorate the tree, just..." Gail tried to explain but her voice broke.  
"I know" the brunette said and held her as tight as she could as the blonde sobbed into her chest. They both laid together crying for the family they'd planned and both set their hearts on. After a while Holly started to wonder if the woman in her arms was asleep "Honey" she whispered softly.  
"Yea?" Gail answered hoarsely and sniffed.  
The brunette rolled away a little and grabbed a tissue box, they both cleaned up and resumed cuddling "I was thinking after Christmas we could start making enquires about..." Holly hesitated a little, she knew that she herself was ready to be a parent and honestly would start tomorrow if Gail wanted it, they'd said after they were married but that had been it "having our own"  
The blonde, who had resumed her position with her head on her lovers chest, finally looked up at the brunette, she smiled up at her "You'd be okay with that?" She asked, she moved back a little.  
Holly just smiled down at her "We did talk about doing this after the wedding, we never really said straight away but I've been thinking about it a lot, since we lost the chance with Sophie and your ready to be a mom and so I am I so why not get it going as soon..." She trailed off, when she noticed Gail just looking at her with a gleeful grin "What?" She asked.  
The blonde leaned in a kissed her "I love you so much lunchbox, and I can't wait for us to do this together"  
"So we start looking into it after Christmas?" The brunette asked.  
Gail smiled "Yea, you and me Hol, we're gonna do this together"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

A week later, the couple were at, what they hoped would be, Gail's last appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon in regards to her leg. She had a scan and they were waiting in a treatment room for Dr Gordon. Holly had woken that morning not feeling very well, she'd taken some headache pills but in the last hour, her voice had gotten croaky and she'd been sniffling "Your looking worse" the blonde said.  
"Thanks" the brunette said sarcastically, grabbing a tissue from the nearby box, she blew her nose.  
Gail slipped her hand into Holly's "You know I don't mean it that way"  
"I know" the brunette croaked "It's only a cold, I'll survive" she coughed.  
"Well, I'm off today and tomorrow, it's about time I had a chance to look after you for a change" Gail said, she lifted her hand and kissed it.  
The doctor came in "Alright" he said "Scans look good, everything looks like it's continued to heal well and the report from the physical therapist is positive so we'll get you out of the brace today, next week when you come about your hand, I'll sign you off as fit for duty"  
"Thank you" the blonde said sounding relieved.  
"Now, I know you've been waiting for this, it's been a long process but it's almost over, you may still be sore now and again so listen to your body, stop and rest when you need to, you also need to make sure you keep taking calcium, it will help with your continued healing and if you break anything again" he said.  
Holly had been quiet the whole time, Dr Gordon looked over at her "You okay?" He asked.  
"I'm fine, I have a cold" she croaked.  
"Okay" he said he moved over and took the brace off Gail's leg "Let me see you walk" The blonde walked across the room with a slight limp "What's hurting?" He asked as he pointed to the chair, she sat and he examined her leg.  
"It's my knee, it's not hurting so much, it's more like it's stiff, it hurts occasionally" She explained.  
The doctor manipulated her knee and she winced occasionally "It should loosen up as you use it" he said "I'll keep you doing physical therapy this week and see how it is next week" he wrote a few things on her chart, he checked his watch "I have a few appointments so I'll leave you to it" he closed the folder as he went to walk out he put his hand on the brunettes shoulder "Take it easy and I'll see you two next week"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail pulled her SUV into the driveway, she'd insisted on driving, aside from the fact she hadn't driven for two months, she didn't want her unwell lover to have to. She had taken Holly to the pharmacy and gotten some cold tablets and a few other things she would need "Okay, you are going straight to the couch while I make us some lunch"  
The brunette who had her head back on the head rest and eyed her fiancee "Really?"  
"I can cook the basics you know" the blonde said "I can even manage chicken soup, although I already asked Traci to drop some of her moms off after her shift because it's like a miracle cure when your sick" she opened the door.  
"Right now a grilled cheese and a cup of homemade ginger tea with lemon and honey would be lovely" she said as they got out.  
"Ginger Tea?" Gail questioned, pulling a face "How about I leave that one to Matt and we go with green tea with lemon and honey" she said as they reached the steps together, she was holding their groceries in one hand and held out her braced hand to her lover.  
"Sounds great" Holly said and sniffed.  
They went inside, the brunette did as she was told and went and laid on the couch, by the time the blonde went in with her lunch, Holly was out cold. Gail kissed her on the forehead and covered her with a blanket. She sat down in front of the couch and and quietly started playing a game, while eating what she had made her fiancée for lunch.  
She'd been playing for about an hour when Matt came in "Hey" he called out.  
"In here" Gail called back.  
He walked in and saw his sister sleeping "She okay?" He asked softly.  
"She not well, she's got a cold" the blonde said as she paused the game.  
"I see your brace free" he commented and headed for the kitchen.  
"Yea the other one should go next week" Gail said, she got up and followed him.  
"So you'll be back on full duty?" He asked as he pulled a few things from the fridge.  
"Hopefully, I know Holly doesn't want me to" she said as she sat on the stool.  
"She wants you to be happy, if being a cop makes you happy, she'll support you" He put a pot of water on the stove "She requested ginger tea yet?" He asked.  
"Yea, I'm assuming that's what your doing?"  
"Yep, she always had it when she got a cold when we were younger, that, chicken soup and sleep" he said as he prepared the things for the tea.  
"Well that's two already taken care of, Traci's bringing the chicken soup and she's sleeping" the blonde said "So what were you up to this morning, you were gone when we got up?" She asked.  
"I was looking at a few places to live" he said as he put some things in the pot.  
Gail frowned "Why?" She asked confused.  
"Because I'm living with my sister and her fiancee, it's not exactly an ideal situation" he said as he stirred the pot on the stove.  
"Neither of us said you had to go, I like you being around and I know Holly likes having you here" the blonde said "plus you've been a great help while I was off my feet"  
"Yes and now that your back on your feet I should go and let you guys have time on your own together" he said.  
"I'll make you a deal, stay until after the new year, help us with the wedding and if you insist on leaving, you can do it once we're married" Gail offered.  
"Sounds like a plan to me" Holly croaked as she wrapped her arms around the blonde from behind "You know you can stay" she said to her brother as she rested her chin on Gail's shoulder.  
"I know, I need to do this though Hol, you know that, I'll stay until the wedding" he said snapping, he went to turn but stopped realising he'd been a little short with them "I'm sorry" he said turning back "I didn't mean to snap"  
"We get it" the brunette said, her brother went back to the stove. Her lover glanced up at her, Holly shook her head and mouthed 'Later'

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail waited until after Matt had gone to work to bring the subject up again, the blonde was sitting on the couch with Holly's head in her lap, they were watching a documentary on TV "So what was that with Matt earlier?" She asked playing with the fibres on the blanket covering the brunette.  
Holly looked away from the TV, up at her lover "He feels like he needs to prove to himself he can live alone and not do drugs, it's part of the reason he lived in Niagara"  
"He doesn't think I want him here because I think he'll fall off the wagon does he? it's not that I just...." Gail hesitated.  
"No, if anything, we provide a place for him to feel safe from the drugs, your a cop, I'm in forensics there's no way there would be any real temptation to do drugs here" the brunette explained.  
"What exactly happened to him?" The blonde asked.  
"What do you mean?" Holly was unsure what she was asking.  
"Did he almost overdose or get in trouble or something?" Gail asked, curious as to what exactly had gone one between the siblings.  
The brunette sighed "What I'm gonna say, stays between us"  
The blonde frowned "Of course"  
"I've never told anyone about this not even mom and dad" Holly said, she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose then started "His last dose almost killed him, had I not checked on him that night, he would have been dead, I had taken to carrying Narcan with me all the time because he'd had a couple of close calls. That night I had to kick in his door and he was having a seizure" Gail reached out and took her hand, squeezing it "after he came around and settled down, I told him that was it, if he didn't go to rehab I was done. I gave him the talk I gave Chris and he agreed to go" she sighed "it was hard, all of it"  
"I'm sorry" her fiancee said "I can't even imagine, it was hard enough when it was Chris, had it been Steve...." She trailed off.  
"During rehab they tell you that you need to be able to stand on your own two feet before trying to even think about including another person in your life, he stayed with me for six months after rehab then moved to Niagara, determined to do it alone, I was terrified" she closed her eyes, obviously holding in the emotions "We had a huge fight and he left with all his things, I got a call when he got there and then didn't hear from him for almost another year then he turned up on my doorstep to sort it out, he'd been clean the whole time and we talked about everything including his reluctance to come out"  
"That part, I don't get, your folks are awesome" Gail said running her free hand through Holly's hair.  
"They are but the world isn't, you know everyone needs to do it on their own timetable, hopefully he'll find someone someday who inspires him to take that step" the brunette explained, her voice getting more hoarse.  
"So this is a, proving it to himself that he can live alone in the city and not get high thing, not a I don't want to stay here thing?" The blonde asked.  
"Pretty much" Holly confirmed and coughed.  
"Why didn't he just say that? It's not like I don't know his past" Gail said.  
The brunette shrugged "You'd have to ask him" She coughed again.  
"Alright, no more talking" Gail said "You are having a hot bath, Traci will be dropping the soup off any second, you can bathe then have some soup and we'll curl up in bed and watch a movie"  
"Yes ma'am" Holly said, lifted her their joined hands and kissed the back of the blondes.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Within two weeks, Holly was over her cold, Gail finally got rid of her last brace and was deemed fit for duty, once she had attended a mandated therapist appointment and passed her recertification for her firearm, of course. It was the morning of her first day back, she was on days for the first two to get use to it again. She was laying, spooning Holly from behind in the very early morning, she didn't have to get up for a while and was just enjoying the warmth of the bed and holding the woman in her arms. It had snowed the night before and even with the heating and fireplace in the house, it would still be cold outside the bed. She tugged the brunette tighter against her "Morning" Holly's husky sleepy voice whispered.  
"Morning" the blonde replied.  
"I can hear you thinking from here, you do know we have over an hour before we have to get up" the brunette pointed out sleepily.  
"Yea I know" she answered with a sigh.  
"I thought you'd be happy today" her lover pushed, hoping to get the other woman to talk. She rolled over in Gail's arms so she could see her, she lifted her hand and brushed her finger over her forehead "What's going on in there?" Holly asked gently.  
Gail leaned forward and gave her a kiss, when it started to heat up, the brunette pushed her back and gave her a look that told her that nothing would continue until she talked. She sighed again "Are you okay with me going back?" She asked.  
Holly frowned "We talked about this" she said "Yes, I'm okay with it, it scares me but you've promised me you'll be careful that's enough for me right now"  
The blonde watched her for a few seconds, as if she was trying to decide if she was telling the truth or not "Okay" she said and leaned in and captured her lips, happy to end the conversation in favour of more interesting activities until they had to get up.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail was finishing packing her bag before leaving for the station. She zipped it up and called out to her lover "Hol, you ready to go?"  
"Yea, one second" the brunette called from upstairs, they'd spent the early hours before getting up making love, it had made them a little late and reluctant to leave the house. Holly bounced down the stairs and handed her fiancee a small gift wrapped box "Something to keep you safe" she kissed her cheek and headed into the downstairs room they use as an office to pick up her kit and briefcase.  
"What's this?" Gail asked as she pulled the paper off.  
"Just open it" the brunette said from the other room.  
The blonde opened the jewellery box as Holly walked back in the room carrying her kit, Gail looked in the box, it was a silver chain with a medallion similar to the one she'd bought the brunette the day they'd gotten back together. On one side it was engraved with hers and Holly's initials and the other side, was what looked like a hammer "What's this?" She said running her finger over it.  
The brunette walked over and took it in her hand "It's Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, it's a symbol of protection, to keep you safe"  
Gail smiled at her and turned around so she could put it on her "You are such a nerd"  
"Says you" Holly said, she wrapped her arms around the blondes waist once she'd put the necklace on "I've seen your comic book collection" she added, kissing her neck.  
"They're graphic novels" Gail defended.  
"If you say so"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Morning" Gail said to Oliver as she walked into the parade room, fully geared up for the first time in months, he was the only one there.  
"Peck, nice to see you ready for action" the other man said with a smile "Your riding with me today by the way, I insisted on being there for your first day back"  
The blonde smiled "I wouldn't want it any other way"  
Everyone else started walking in, most people knew she was back on full duty and were patting her on the back, Frank walked in and stood at the podium as they took their seats "Well first up, as most of you know this is Officer Peck's first official day back on full duty so please do your best to give her as difficult a time as possible as she's had it way too easy for the last few months" he winked at her and she shook her head at him "Now with Christmas coming and all the snow, accidents have been on the rise, please ensure with any scenes that are attended, that all details are taken. Also being close to the holidays means we need to set up some alcohol checks" the group groaned.  
Gail put her hand up "I'll do it" she said, they all frowned at her and Oliver pulled her hand down. "What?" she asked him confused. Frank was looking up the back of the room and Gail turned to see her brother standing there, her mother behind him "Great" she muttered.  
"Anybody else, if you volunteer now you'll be considered for getting Christmas Day off" The staff Sergeant offered and multiple hands shot up.  
"Shit" Gail muttered, she knew her mother was behind this, she pulled out her phone.  
Oliver covered it with his hand "They mean well" he said softly while Frank gave out assignments, he already knew theirs.  
"I know they do but I was assaulted by a serial killer not a traffic stop" she said putting the phone down, she'd intended on sending Holly a text, but it could wait "I get that their worried, everyone is, but I'm alive, I'm fine, just let me do my job" she stood as everyone else left and pocketed her phone "Go, I'll save you from the Peck family stuff and meet you at the car"  
He winked at her "Don't be too hard on them"  
The blonde waited as the room emptied and her mother and brother came forward "We just wanted to wish you luck on your first day back on duty" Elaine said and adjusted the collar on her uniform.  
Gail pulled away "And tell Frank not to let me do the traffic stop" she said folding her arms.  
"I didn't think you needed the reminder" the older woman said "Anyway I needed to see you, we have to make a time with Holly and her mother to go wedding dress shopping"  
"I'm gonna go" Steve said and kissed her cheek "Stay safe" he added and left.  
"Thanks" she said sarcastically to her brother as he left "You want to organise dress shopping with Holly and her mom, call them yourself" she said and tried to leave already pulling her phone out to warn her lover.  
"I'm trying to be better here sweetie, I just..." Elaine paused.  
Gail stopped and sighed, she was right, usually her mother would have made the calls to her fiancee and mother without even speaking to her first "I'll talk to Holly tonight" she said.  
"It's all I ask" the older woman said.  
The blonde left muttering. She made her way out to where Oliver was waiting.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They'd been patrolling for a while when there had been a call about a report of gunshots in an apartment block. When they arrived they found a body in the apartment but no shooter. Gail was standing outside the apartment door, keeping the crime scene secure until detectives and forensics arrived while Oliver was questioning some of the witnesses, she saw Rodney come around the corner of the stairs and smiled, knowing who would be behind him. When Holly came into view, she was on the phone, carrying her kit, walking with her head down, she held up the police tape on the doorway letting Rodney through but dropped it and put her hand out to stop the distracted doctor "Sorry Lunchbox, your not allowed in there" she said with a grin as she pushed her back her hand on her chest.  
This made Holly look up at her "I'll get the results to you as soon as I can" she said, ended the call and put the phone in her pocket, she smiled at the blonde "Well officer I thought you understood the jurisprudence in these situations"  
"Oh I do" Gail said as her hand slipped down to the brunettes hip and tugged her into her body "I just want a kiss first"  
"Well who am I to deny an officer of the law" Holly said, she slipped her free hand into the blondes short hair and kissed her softly on the lips.  
"Mmmmm" Gail moaned into the kiss, then as she pulled back she rested her head on the brunettes "I've missed you today" she whispered.  
"I missed you too, morning sex does not make it easy for me to concentrate" Holly gave her a peck on this lips "especially when it was as hot as it was this morning"  
The blonde officer gave her a smug grin "Maybe tonight we can...."   
Her statement was silenced by Rodney calling out from inside "Dr Stewart?"  
"Later" she whispered, gave Gail one more kiss then ducked under the tape, the blonde followed knowing Traci and Sam would want her to document the doctors initial thoughts.  
She followed them in, the body was in the sitting room laying on the floor, the only thing they had done was check the apartment for a suspect and contacted forensics "I can see why you didn't call paramedics" Holly said as she squatted next to the body "There isn't much of his head left" she pulled gloves on "The shot came from behind, blew through his skull"  
"Yea most of his face is on the wall" the blonde said pointing to it, one thing living with a forensic pathologist had done, was make it easier when dealing with gruesome scenes, she'd been exposed to multiple autopsies and many awful crime scene photos, it didn't bother her as much as it use to.  
"Rodney" the brunette said not looking up from the body.  
He shuddered "I know photograph, collect and label everything" he started photographing everything before he touched it.  
Traci and Sam came in "So what's it look like?" He asked.  
"Victim is male, early twenties" Holly said, she checked his pockets, she found his wallet and handed it to Gail, who gave it to Traci "And it looks like he pissed someone off enough that they blew his head apart"  
"Execution?" Traci asked.  
"From the level of splatter, I would say he was kneeling when he was shot, so yea more than likely" the doctor said as she collected evidence from around the body.  
Gail was watching Holly work when Traci nudged her "Peck" she said sounding exasperated. She had obviously been trying to get the blondes attention for a while "Go help Oliver with the witness statements"  
She blushed a little, nodded and headed out "She spaced out watching you" the female detective pointed out.  
The brunette grinned "I would normally make some egotistical comment but I wanna get this done and back to the lab" she said, she pulled the thermometer out of his abdomen "from his liver temp he's only been dead about two hours" she said putting it away.  
"Is there anything else?" Traci asked.  
"Not until I get him on my table" Holly said and looked over at Rodney who was finishing photographing everything "Give me some time with the scene and I'll try and give you more"  
"Sure" she said "Sam?" He looked up from the desk he was looking at.  
"Drugs" he said "and from the amount in this box I'd say he's dealing"  
"So guns and gangs?" She asked.  
"I'd say so"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly was finishing the autopsy, well she was trying to piece together the victims skull when Steve came in "Ewww" he said.  
The brunette looked up at him "It's only skull fragments" she slid another piece into place "it was worse when it had brain matter all over it"  
He shook his head, trying to get rid of the image "I was told you had the bullet for me and a tox screen" he asked.  
She handed him a folder "Positive for the same cocaine at the scene, and the bullet has gone to ballistics for analysis"  
There was silence for a second "How's she doing?" He asked.  
Holly looked up from her task "I'm assuming your asking about your sister?" She asked.  
"Yea" he said touching the table, she could see he wanted to ask something.  
"Just ask" she said and looked back down, she liked Steve a lot, he had been there for her when Gail was hurt but she wished he would take his concerns to her, she would talk to him if he picked the right moment.   
"Is she really getting better?" He said "After what happened with your brother in law.." He trailed off.  
Holly sighed, she put down the pieces of skull, stood as she pulled off her gloves then went and closed the door, knowing her lovers habit of showing up when she has a minute or two to spare, if the door is shut she would knock first. She stood with her back to the door "She's doing better, the dreams are lessening and her moods are more stable" she sighed and moved to the nearby chair "She's on an antidepressant and anti-anxiety meds, she hasn't had a panic attack in a while and sees her therapist every Thursday"  
"What set it all off again? she was doing well" Steve said.  
"Well, actually she wasn't, she was just okay, she was still having nightmares when we met" she pointed out "She still needed help and was hiding it or people just didn't care enough to help"  
"I didn't...." He started.  
She interrupted him "I don't actually mean you, I mean her friends who see her everyday and her ex who was too busy with someone else" the brunette said, he could hear the anger in her tone "the serial case and the fact the anniversary of her abduction came up, set her off, but she's getting better now, she met up with the girl she saved, the Allen trial doesn't start for at least six months and she's back at work" Holly thought for a second "You've read the case file on her abduction haven't you? you've at least done that so you know what he did to her?" She asked.  
Steve shook he's head "I was deep undercover when it happened and wasn't out until after the trial" he sighed "When I came back and tried to talk to her she just shut me down, I talked to Oliver and some of the others about it, I put in a request for a copy of the whole file including the court documents , mom called me and said I should just leave it alone, it was better if I didn't know"  
The brunette raised her eyebrow "You listened to her?" Her voice slightly raised.  
He blushed a little "I know one of the only times I shouldn't have but Gail wasn't talking to me either so I didn't really know what to do"  
"Look Steve, really, read the file I can't tell you what she's told me I can't.."  
"It's okay, I'll get the case file" he said putting his hand up to stop her "I won't ask anymore, your loyalty is to her not me and if I want anymore I'll talk to her, I just wanted to know she's okay that's all"  
"She's getting there" Holly said.  
Before any more could be said there was a knock on the door "Hol?" It was the woman they were talking about.  
Gail let herself in she had two coffee cups in a tray and was carrying a bag of takeout, she looked between her brother and fiancee "Is everything okay?" She asked, she noticed her brother had the blank face the Pecks used when they needed to hide something and Holly looked guilty "You were talking about me?" She asked putting the food and drinks down.  
"Gail, Honey..." The brunette started.  
"No it's okay" she said to Holly and smiled at her "He should ask me about me, not expect you to tell him things, what did you ask her?" She asked as she turned to her brother.  
"I wanted to know how your doing?" He said calmly.  
"So ask me asshole, not my fiancée, I don't ask Traci if your okay do I?" She said angrily, he went to speak but she cut him off "Just..." She waved her hand at him and moved over to the bag of food.  
Knowing his best bet was to leave her, she'd get over it then the next time she sees act like nothing happened, if he walks away now, if he pushes she won't forgive him for a long time "I'll see you both later"  
"Yea, just go" the blonde said still looking at the food. After he had left, Holly waited until Gail spoke "You hungry?" She asked, pulling the containers out.  
"Gail, I'm sorry, he came in and asked how you were" The brunette said taking a tentative step towards her, she knows how quickly this could turn into a cat in a tree situation.  
Gail rested her hands on the table "What did you tell him?" She still hadn't looked up.  
"First I told him to talk to you then I said that your doing better, that your on meds and in therapy" she pause for a beat "After that I told him I couldn't say anymore, that he should talk to you or at the very least read the case file. The idiot hasn't even done that, you'd think that with his sister being a victim in a serial case...." She was interrupted when a pair hand grabbed her face and lips attacked her own, she wrapped her arms around the blonde, hanging onto her duty belt.  
Gail slowed the kiss and broke it, she tugged the dark rimmed glasses up then put them on top of the brunette's head and rested their foreheads together "Don't" she said softly "Right now I don't wanna talk about my brother"  
"But...." Holly said.  
Gail pulled back far enough to look into her lovers eyes "Really, it's okay Hol, I get it he asked questions, you gave him enough to shut him up" she brushed her fingers over the brunette's face "I'm okay and we are good, I'm not upset with you" she sighed "I already knew he didn't read the case file"  
Holly tilted her head "How?" She asked as she tugged her tighter against her, still holding her duty belt.  
"Perick is still alive" the blonde said, the brunette frowned "If nothing else Peck's are protective of our own, if Steve knew what he did to me he would have found a way to get rid of him. When we were young I was attacked by a guy at a party. Steve saw it and beat him half to death, the guy never pressed charges because he'd attacked me first, I just know him well enough to know how he'll take it when he finds out"  
"Maybe someone should pre-warn him" Holly suggested.  
"Maybe he should have just read it two years ago" Gail said, she leaned in and kissed Holly again "Let's have lunch, Oliver won't let me live it down if I'm late"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"I'm late I know" Holly said as Gail walked into her office hours later "I'm sorry" she said.  
"Don't be" the blonde said dropping onto the couch her fiancée kept in there "Not like I'm in a hurry to hang out with those idiots" she was wearing the jeans and black jacket she had on earlier that morning. She laid on the couch and played with the necklace the brunette had given her.  
Holly was standing behind her desk, she finished printing the report on her last autopsy and shut down the computer "What time are we suppose to be there?"  
"When we get there, I don't really care, it was Oliver's idea, that's the only reason I'm going" she dropped the necklace and looked at the brunette "I'd much rather go home continue what we started this morning"  
Holly smirked "As much fun as that would be, we haven't exactly been the most social people lately, I think an evening out would be good for us both"  
"Because it's worked so well in the past" Gail said rolling her eyes.  
The brunette eyed her for a second, she closed her briefcase and sat it on the desk. She moved over and straddled the blonde on the couch, she picked up both of her hands and linked their fingers "What are we talking about here?" She asked. Gail frowned up at her "I can see some thing else is going on in that head of yours" she explained.  
"I just..." She started but stopped, she played with the ring on Holly's finger, her own, now back on her finger after spending the day hanging on the necklace on her neck, she'd been worried about losing it on duty "I saw my mom today"  
"Oh" that had been one of the last things she had expected.  
"Yea, she came in this morning, stopped Frank putting me on a traffic stop and informed me, we, as in you, your mom and I, need to organise to go dress shopping" she said.  
"What did you say?"  
"To call you" the blond said sheepishly "Then she said she's trying and I said I'd talk to you, I'm not use to her actual asking, usually she just decides and I live with it, it's weird and it's made me feel off balance"  
Holly smiled down at her "You'll get use to it, at least she is trying" she paused for a beat "Did Frank listen about the traffic stop?"   
Gail rolled her eyes again "Yes unfortunately, they think I'm gonna break" she said and looked at their joined hands, she pulled one down and kissed the back of her lovers hand.  
"So tell them, don't let them make decisions for you, Frank's a good guy, he'll listen" 

0-0-0-0-0-0

The couple walked into the Penny about an hour later, they'd spent more time talking. By the time they left Holly's office, Gail felt better about things, as much as the brunette had turned her world on its ear, she also helped to keep her centred. They went to the bar, before even ordering, Steve was there "I need to talk to you"  
"Too bad" the blonde said, not even looking at him "You should have read the case file two years ago, I'm here to have a drink with the others then go home"  
"Gail" he said.  
"No Steve, just... not tonight okay" she said and walked away.  
He turned to Holly "No" she said "my involvement is done, let her cool off" she said and ordered their for them.  
He stood next to his future sister in law for a minute "I really screwed up didn't I?" He asked with a sigh.  
The brunette paid for the drinks and picked them up, she turned to him "I'm not the one to discuss this with, I can't help you or take your side, she's almost my wife and my priority, talk to Traci" she said and left to find Gail, she hated that she had to be like that with him but truly her only concern was the blonde.   
She found the group, up the back with three tables pushed together "So what did he say?" Gail asked as she sat in the empty seat next to her. The blondes hand instantly finding her own when she had settled in the seat.  
"That he screwed up, I told him I'm not the one he needs to talk to, that I'm done and if he needs to talk to someone about you to talk to Traci" Holly explained.  
"So how is the wedding planning going?" Celery asked from the other side of the table.  
They smiled at each other "Well" Holly said "We have the venue and catering booked, invitations are ordered, we're going dress shopping Sunday and we have a celebrant booked as well, so we are pretty on track actually"  
"Are you having a bachelorette party?" The other woman asked.  
Gail raised her eyebrow at Holly as she took a sip of her drink, they'd never talked about it and she was wondering what she thought, the brunette looked at her "We never really discussed it"  
"You've gotta do it" Chloe said interrupting the conversation "You can't get married without having that last night of freedom"  
"I don't want or need a last night of freedom, I don't consider marrying Holly as loosing my freedom" the blonde stated, she drained her drink "Do you want a refill?" Gail offered the brunette, she nodded, the blonde kissed her and left.  
"No bachelorette party, neither of us want it" Holly said, she was smiling watching her lover leave, she was very proud of her future wife for standing up to them.  
"How about we just do one all together?" Traci suggested "both yours and Gail's friends"  
The brunette sighed "I'll talk to her but no promises and do not mention it to her or I will deny all knowledge" she understood why her friends wanted to do it, she'd been there, those parties are always fun for the people not getting married.   
"You didn't let them talk you into it did you?" The blonde said as she sat back in her seat and handed Holly her drink.  
"No" the brunette said, her tone let Gail know that she would talk about what was said later.  
The blonde let it drop, before she could speak, Dov interrupted "Who's up for trivia?"

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With Holly wiping the floor with the others in trivia, Gail had been talked into playing pool with Oliver against some guys from 17 division "So" he said standing next to her "What's with you and your brother?" He asked.  
She rolled her eyes "Leave it alone Ollie" the blonde said as the other officer missed she leaned down to take her shot.  
"Just wondered that's all" he said holding his hands up.  
"Just leave it" she said as she sunk a ball "He fucked up not me" she stood back up and looked at the table, he gave her a look "he never read the case file on Perick but tried to get details from Holly about it"  
"Okay I understand why your pissed" he said "Doc seems happy tonight, how'd she take you being back on today?"  
Gail moved over to him and showed him the necklace "She gave me this this morning"  
Oliver looked it over "Thor's hammer, symbol of protection" he said. She raised her eyebrows at him "I have kids" he said.  
She moved away and took another shot "Speaking of, how are the girls and Celery going now"  
"Slightly at odds at the moment, you see I asked them if it would be okay if I asked her to marry me and they weren't too happy"  
This made Gail miss the shot, she stood up and smiled at him "You're gonna propose?"  
Oliver smiled at her and nodded "Izzy had a few problems with it but I'm still going to do it"  
"One thing being with Holly has taught me is, It's your life, you gotta do what makes you happy" the blonde said picking up her glass and having a drink.  
"That's similar to what I told her, I think it's finally hit her that I'm not getting back with her mom again"  
Before Gail could comment, she felt a set of arms wrap around her from behind "Hey" Holly said softly into her ear.  
The blonde rested her hand on the brunettes "Hey, how's trivia?"  
"Killed them" the brunette said proudly.  
"You do know Dov will keep going until he beats you" Gail pointed out "I had to let him win at Gran Turismo once, just so I could get some sleep"  
"It will teach him to take on someone with two doctorates" Holly pointed out "How's the game going?" She asked. As she did the other team sunk the black 8 ball accidentally.  
"Just finished actually" Oliver said happily as he collected their winnings, he halved it and handed the blonde her share "And now I'm going to get my lovely lady and head home" he kissed both women on the cheek and left.  
"You wanna play again?" The officer from 17 asked.  
"No thank you" Holly answered for them "Time to head home" she said against Gail's neck, making the other woman shudder.

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"Do we really have to do this?" Gail said coming out from the couples ensuite, toothbrush in hand, only wearing jeans and a bra.  
"Yes we do" Holly answered as she pulled on one of her boots.  
It was Sunday morning, the blonde had been on night shifts for the past four days, so the only time the couple had together was in brief moments between their shifts. Gail had finished at 7am and had slept until her fiancée had woken her with breakfast and coffee at 10 "This is the only day we have together, your working tomorrow and I'm back on nights for at least the next week" she complained and started brushing her teeth.  
"I know but the quicker we go and get it done the quicker we can come home" the brunette sighed, this conversation had been happening since she woken the blonde. She finished pulling her boots on and stood and walked into the bathroom. Gail was rinsing with mouthwash, after she spat, she came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her "I don't want to do this anymore than you do" she said running her fingers over the blondes bare abdomen "I would much rather spend our day here, we both promised them this, we've kept them from everything else"  
"I know" Gail said, her hands taking the brunette's hands and linking their fingers "I just miss you, I would rather just sit round watching TV with you" Holly gave her a look in the mirror "Alright so I'd actually like to spend some of the time making love, that isn't a quickie in the shower as we cross paths"  
"The idea of going dress shopping with both our mothers completely horrifies me too but if we just get it done then we can have the rest of the day" the brunette said and kissed her temple.  
"Alright" the blonde said giving in.

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It was after lunchtime and this was the fifth dress shop they had been in, the first Elaine had vetoed due to the fact it didn't look professional. The next Holly had walked straight out of as an ex fling of hers was working there. The third they had gotten to the dress trying on stage, when the assistant had disappeared for half an hour, Gail had found her talking on the phone in an office.  
The fourth they didn't find anything either of them liked "This is the last one today" Gail said to Holly as they looked at a rack together "I need some sleep" she said with a yawn "Or food, or coffee, or something" she leaned into her lovers side.  
"Alright" the brunette said, she knew the blonde had been exceptionally tolerant considering she had only two hours sleep "I'll talk to them soon" she rubbed her hand up and down her back.  
Gail tugged a dress off the rack, she looked it over and smiled at Holly "I like this one"  
It was full length, white, sleeveless dress, it wasn't puffy or big and had a small amount of lace around the top, the brunette smiled back "Try it on"  
The blonde checked the size, it should fit, she took it to the assistant and she directed her to a dressing room, Elaine followed them with a much bigger lacy dress.  
Holly continued looking through the racks, he mother came up behind her "This has been a comedy of errors " Wendy said.  
"Yea, I think Gail's had enough, she's been on night shift and only slept for two hours this morning, I think this will be the last stop today"  
"I don't want to try that one on" Gail's voice boomed over the top of the conversation.  
"Shit" Holly said and went to the dressing rooms, she stuck her head in to find her fiancée in her underwear, the shop assistant holding the dress the blonde had picked on one side and Elaine holding a big dress on the other "What's wrong?" She asked.  
"I am not wearing that thing" she said pointing at the dress her mother was holding.  
"I'll handle it" she said to the girl and took the dress, the girl gave her a relieved smile.  
"I need a dress similar to this but not strapless" she said "my mom knows what I'm looking for" the girl nodded and left.  
"I don't see how it's such a problem to try this on" Elaine said exasperated "I didn't say you had to choose it, I just wanted to see you in it"  
"Elaine can you give us a minute" Holly said.  
The second her mother left, the almost naked blonde collapsed in tears on her, obviously exhausted, she'd had enough "How about we get the dress you picked put aside and I'll take tomorrow off and we'll do this together, just us?" She suggested.

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After getting the dress put aside and dropping both of their mothers off, Holly pulled the SUV into their driveway. She looked over at Gail and wasn't surprised to find her fast asleep. She felt bad, she should have let her sleep this morning "Gail" she said softly, brushing the hair from the blondes face.  
"Mmmm" she mumbled and opened her eyes "I'm sorry" she said looking over at her, her head resting on the headrest.  
"It's okay, I'm sorry I shouldn't have made you go" Holly said, she rested her hand on Gail cheek.  
"You really gonna take tomorrow off?" She asked.  
"Yea, then we can get this done, Mom said she'll come but only if we want the extra opinion" the brunette undid her seatbelt "Come on, let's get you some lunch then bed"

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"I love it" Holly said to Gail when she tried on the dress the next day. They'd decided to do it alone together.  
"Really?" The blonde said looking down at the fitted dress "It's not very fancy" she said brushing her hands over the material.  
The brunette stood up and went over to her, she picked up both of her hands "You look beautiful sweetheart, if you like it and are comfortable in it then we'll get it"  
Gail smiled at her "I love it" she said.  
"I love you" Holly said back.  
"I love you too" the blonde said "Now what about you?"  
The brunette gave her a kiss "Well the thing is about my dress, I've already got it" Gail frowned "When my mom got married the second time she kept her dress and I always loved it, she offered it to me yesterday, after everything, and she's going to drop it off on Wednesday so I can take it to get a fitting done"  
"Cheat" the blonde said with a sly smile "Okay so now we're done, we need to dress Traci and Rachel"  
"Now this part will be fun" Holly said, she gave Gail a quick kiss and headed off to the bridesmaids dresses, while the blonde changed.

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Holly and Gail picked out a few different dresses then contacted their bridesmaids, Traci agreed to come over during lunch and Rachel cleared the same time. When both women had arrived at the shop the couple took them and ushered them into the changing room, they looked at the dresses and looked at the couple "Really?" Traci asked picking up a frilly sleeve.  
Gail nodded at her "I like that one"  
"Holly I know for a fact your taste is better than this" Rachel said looking at another bright flowery dress.  
The brunette raised an eyebrow at her friend "Are you two really complaining about the dresses we want you to wear on our wedding day?" She asked, she looked at the blonde next to her "I think they are" she said to Gail.  
"I do too, I mean we spent all morning working out which ones we liked...." The blonde coughed, trying to hide a giggle "I can't do it" she said and let the laughter go "the look on your face" she said pointing to Traci "You look truly horrified"  
Holly chuckled along with her "As you said, I have better taste than that" she said to Rachel, she pulled out a deep blue dress "We like this colour, you two take a look at the dress styles they have and decide what you like"  
"It wasn't that funny" Traci said to Gail, who was still bent over laughing.  
"The look on you face" she wheezed through the laughter.  
The detective shook her head and followed Rachel out to the dress rack.  
Holly walked over and grabbed the blonde from behind "You were right" she said, Gail stood up properly and leaned into the brunette, she was still giggling "That was totally worth it, just to see the looks on their faces"

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The decision to have Steve not have read the file on perick was to get to have his reaction to finding out what his sister had been through, which will be in the next chapter, so will Christmas and more wedding prep, maybe a Bachelorette party. Hopefully wedding in the chapter after. This chapter was a bit of a filler, just building to Christmas then the wedding. More coming hopefully sooner rather than later.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Bec oxox

PS... Wedding songs for them, please feel free to send suggestions, and also read and review as it keeps me inspired to keep going.


	20. Chapter Twenty

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

 

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Hey people, yes it's an update and yes it's within the same month as the last one. I'm currently stuck in bed again with the pinched nerve in my back so I have plenty of writing time at the moment. I'm hoping to get the wedding chapter up soon, Anyway hope you enjoy this one.

 

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Chapter Twenty

 

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"Gail" Steve called as the blonde walked back into 15 from booking, she had been partnered with Dov for the night and they'd just bought in a drunk and disorderly. 

It was Thursday night, she'd been on nights since Monday and was not in the mood "No" she said to him.

"Gail" he said again, this time he caught up with her and grabbed her arm "I just wanna talk"

She pulled it from his grip "I'm on duty, come over after 9 tomorrow and we'll talk" she said and left him standing in the corridor. She tugged her phone from her pocket, Holly was at her moms place for a family dinner, she sent her a text 'Talking to Steve after you leave for work tomorrow'

She put her phone on the desk, Dov was in booking with the guy, so she got started on the report, as she sat her phone vibrated 'Good, you need to sort it out'

'I know, how's your night going?' She sent back and started working on the report.

After a few minutes the reply came 'Good, mostly wedding talk, they agree about not inviting Jill'

'It would be just inviting trouble' Gail sent back then added 'I need to get back to it, text me when your home safe, I'll call you before you go to sleep if I can'

She answered almost instantly 'okay, I love you, stay safe'

'I love you too' she sent back and got into the paperwork. She had just finished when Dov appeared at her desk "You ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be" she said with a sigh.

"Have you seen much of Chris? he's hardly ever home anymore, he sleeps there that's about it, I'm starting to think he's fallen of the wagon" He said as they made their way through the station.

"He hasn't" Gail said as they opened the door to the car park "He's been hanging out at our place with Holly's brother Matt a lot" she said.

"Really? Why?" He asked as the reached the squad car.

"Keys" the blonde said, she was at the drivers side door, he tossed them to her and they got in "He's been through similar things, they actually have a lot in common" she started the car.

"Oh" he said sounding a little dejected.

Gail chuckled "He hasn't broken up with you Dov"

"Shut up Gail" he said "Do you have to make a joke about it?" He flushed red.

She rolled her eyes "Leave him be, he's just trying to work through his stuff, sometimes you need some one different to get through things"

"Why can't he talk to me?" He said with a pout.

"Don't be juvenile, he's the one going through this not you, try to understand" this night is going to be a long one if he acted like a little bitch the whole time "What's your problem anyway?"

"Nothing" he said and looked out the window.

"Fabulous" the blonde said under her breath.

 

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It was about 11pm when Gail heard from Holly, she was standing in an all night coffee shop not far from 15, getting coffee for herself and some of the other officers, when she got the text. She called her straight away "Hey Beautiful" she said when she answered.

"Hey sweetheart" The brunette said "How's your evening been?"

"Not too busy, a few drunks, a few scuffles, nothing major" the blonde said, she was sitting at a table waiting for their coffee order "How was your family dinner?"

"Not too bad, we talked about wedding stuff mostly" Holly said and yawned.

"You already in bed?" Gail asked.

"Yes"

The blonde smirked "I'd ask what your wearing but that will just tease myself"

"You'd probably be disappointed, I'm wearing my flannel pyjamas" the brunette said with a chuckle.

"I happen to find those sexy on you" Gail said with a smile.

"I was talking to Traci the other day" Holly said changing the subject.

"Should I be offended? I was just trying to talk you into phone sex and you bring up Traci" the blonde asked.

"Well officer, somehow I don't think you really were after phone sex since I would be the only one getting satisfaction from the arrangement" the brunette said with a chuckle, the other woman went silent, she knew she was picturing her "While you enjoy that visual, she asked me if I'd talk you into a bachelorette party"

"No" Gail said coming back "I don't...."

"I know" Holly said interrupting her "We can do it together a combined one, then we can sneak off early and leave them to the party"

The blonde considered it "I'll think about it" 

"That's all I ask" the brunette yawned again "I should probably get some sleep, your off at six thirty aren't you?"

Gail got called over to pick up their coffee "yea I should be home by about seven, I'll bring coffee"

"I miss sleeping with you, I sleep better with you next to me" Holly confessed.

"I miss you too baby, thankfully after next week I'm on days until after the new year, oh and I found out tonight that Frank has granted me Christmas off, I might have to do the day shift on New Year's Eve but I'll be off in time to see midnight with you"

"That's great, I love you sweetheart, stay safe" the brunette said.

"I love you too, I'll see you in the morning"

They exchanged goodbyes and Gail pocketed her phone, feeling lighter, as she always did after speaking to her fiancee.

 

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Gail walked in the house just before seven to the smell of bacon cooking, she dropped her gear, coat and boots at the front door, put the coffee tray on the bench and slid up behind her fiancee, who was still in her flannel pyjamas cooking breakfast, she wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her body against her "Morning" she mumbled as she kissed her neck "that smells wonderful"

"I thought you could use a good breakfast before your chat with Steve" Holly said, she moved her hand up to the back of Gail's head "How was your night?"

"Dov spent the entire time bitching that Chris doesn't hang out anymore and why does he talk to Matt and not him" the blonde said with a sigh.

"What did you tell him?" She asked.

"That he needs time to get through his things and that Matt is helping him because he's been through it" she said then added "I still think something's going on between them"

"Maybe, he is here a lot" the brunette agreed "but that's none of our business and.."

"We're staying out of it, I remember" she said, she kissed the brunettes cheek "Do I have time for a shower?"

"Sure, I haven't started cooking the pancakes yet" Holly said, she turned around in Gail's arms and wrapped her own around the blondes neck, she pulled her into a toe curling kiss, they kissed passionately, tongues tasting.

"Hmmmm" Gail hummed as she pulled back "Wanna come shower with me?" She asked, rocking them side to side, one hand slipping from her lovers waist to her ass, giving it a squeeze.

"I would normally say yes but if I do neither of us will eat" Holly said "just be quick"

"We could eat, just not food" The blonde said with a sly grin.

She shifted away from her fiancee but the brunette managed to slap her on the ass "Go shower you" she said. Gail chuckled as she made her way up the stairs.

 

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Gail was sitting on the couch watching TV, Holly had left for work and Matt had made himself scarce after eating breakfast. The blonde hadn't asked him to but he knew from a conversation they'd had earlier in the week that she had things to sort out with Steve. She yawned and looked at her phone, it was almost 10.30, she needed sleep before work tonight so she'd give him another fifteen minutes if he didn't show she would text him and put it off.

She tossed her phone down, got up and went in the kitchen, she pulled a bottle of water from the fridge as she did there was a knock on the door "Finally" she muttered. 

She moved to the foyer and opened the door, her brother was outside holding two takeaway coffee cups "I know I'm sorry, I got caught up with a case" Gail rolled her eyes and walked into the house, Steve closed the door and followed, he caught up with her in the sitting room "Hot chocolate" he said holding out a cup "Figured it's better than coffee since your on nights"

She took the cup "You wanna say what you've come to say" she said going and sitting on the couch.

"I read the file" he said "I should have read it two years ago" he was still standing.

"Sit, your making the place look untidy" she said.

He moved over and sat on the other couch "How many people know exactly what happened to you?"

"If you read the file you know that I didn't pursue rape charges against him, so the only people that know everything are Holly and her family, Luke, Traci, Oliver, Frank and I'm fairly sure Mom and Dad know but we've never discussed it" Gail explained looking at her cup.

"I should have been here" Steve said "Should have..."

"And what would you have done?" She asked her brother "It was bad enough Jerry died, if you'd done anything to him you'd have been fired or in jail" she brushed away a few tears.

"I should have ripped the sick fuckers heart out, he hurt you, he's still hurting you. You should never have had to face him again, not for anyone" he said talking about when she had gone to the prison to beg information from him.

"That was my choice" Gail said "Is there any point to this or are you just going to sit here and keep wishing that you could have wrapped me up and protected me? Because if that's it I'm going to bed"

"Gail..." Steve said.

The blonde knew what he was going through, as Pecks they are taught to not show emotion, to be the strong ones, it makes communicating, even with each other, very difficult. Thankfully, both Holly and her therapist were helping Gail learn how to talk about things. She sighed "Look Steve, you were working, that wasn't your fault, I told them not to contact you. When I was found I didn't contact you, I didn't contact anyone. I did get therapy but I've really only wanted to get real help with it all since I've been with Holly, with her I can be myself, something I'm not even comfortable being with my own family" she looked at him, he looked terrible. The last week, learning what happened and her avoiding him had taken its toll. She decided he'd probably be much harder on himself than she could ever be "You can't beat yourself up about it" she said.

"I should have been there, or at least been more understanding over the last two years" he said.

"You can would have, should have, could have until the cows come home, it's not gonna change what happened, I was kidnapped and raped, it happened, I'm dealing with it" Gail explained.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" he asked "Anything"

The blonde smirked, she was tempted to make him pay but knew she shouldn't "Two things, One, I want you to stand up with me and be my best man at the wedding"

He grinned at her "Really, you still want me to?" 

"Yes, no matter what's happened your my brother, I want you right there with me" she said as she smiled back at him.

"Very cool" he said "Number two?"

Gail puffed out a breath, she'd been nervous about asking him this "Well first thing, this stays between us, you can talk to Traci but only because in a way it might affect her too" he frowned at her "After the wedding, Holly and I wanna try to have a baby, we haven't decided who will do it yet and we want the baby to be as genetically close to being ours as we can...."

She didn't get to finish when Steve simply said "Yes of course"

"I didn't finish" Gail said.

"You want me to donate the sperm if it's Holly's egg, sign away parental rights and all that?" He asked. She just nodded at him, he reached over and took her hand "I'd be honoured to help you two have kids"

Gail threw herself into his arms and held on tightly "Thank you" she whispered in his ear through the tears.

 

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"So he said yes?" Holly said into her phone as she prepared the room for an autopsy, she'd even to the scene but had left most of the work to the techs and headed back to the morgue, it was a suspected overdose, she should have finished an hour ago but wasn't much looking forward to going home alone so figured she'd stay and get the body done so she could take a little time with Gail in the morning, the woman in question had called her as she'd gotten back from the possible crime scene.

"He didn't even let me finished, just said yes and that he'd be honoured to help us" the blonde explained.

"That's wonderful, now I just need to talk to Matt" the brunette said, she put the phone on speaker and put it down.

"You still at work?" Gail asked hearing her lover move around the room.

"Yea, I've got a possible overdose coming in from 17, I thought I'd get it done now then take a couple of hours with you tomorrow" she explained as she got the trays she would need and put the coveralls and apron on she used.

"Sounds great" the blonde said, Holly could tell she was smiling, she heard the buzzer sound to let them in with the body "I've gotta go Hun, I'll text you once I'm home" she said.

"Okay, I love you baby" Gail said.

"I love you too" 

 

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After the weekend, Gail was back working days and couldn't be happier, she'd spent much of the weekend sleeping, recovering from her night shift stint. Both women were sleeping much better now they were back on a similar schedule. It was almost lunchtime on Wednesday, Gail had a rough morning after the pathologist had dropped her at work. She'd been partnered with Chloe, who kept talking about how hurt Dov is about Chris, she'd explained to both of them that he just needed space but they didn't listen. They'd picked up a guy who was as high as a kite, which had been amusing until he'd puked all over the back of their patrol car, which they then had to clean. A quick shower and a fresh uniform later, she'd taken the squad car grabbed coffee and headed to the lab "Hey" she called to Holly when she found her in her office.

"Hey, I didn't think I'd see you much today" she said as she sat back in her chair.

"I left Chloe at the station after I showered" she said, she walked over and leaned down "Hi" she said with a smile.

"Hi" Holly said back and captured her lips, she kissed her passionately, as she slid her hand into the again very short locks at the back, the blonde had her hair cut again over the weekend "How long have we got?" The brunette said taking her by the hips as she stood back up.

Before Gail could speak her radio crackled to life "15-09, what's your 20? Chloe's voice asked "Gail where did you disappear to?" She asked.

The blonde swore under her breath, she took her radio in her hand "Made a quick drop off at the lab, be there in ten" she let it go "I'm sorry" she said to her fiancee.

"I'm just happy I got to see you" she said, tugging on Gail's duty belt, pulling her over between her legs "I've had a murder case that the courts bought forward to tomorrow so I need to prepare so I might not be home until late" she said hugging her around the waist.

Gail stiffened "You're suppose to come to my appointment tomorrow"

Holly pulled back and looked up at her "I can't help that the case was bought forward, I'll be there next week"

The blonde pulled out of her arms "I should get back" she said backing away.

"No" the brunette said and grabbed her hand and stood "What's wrong? You know I have no control over this, I can't go and ask for a continuance because it interferes with my fiancees therapy appointment" she said honestly.

Gail tried to pull her hand free, when Holly wouldn't let her, she stopped "I just...."

"Gail?" The brunette said running her thumb over the back of the officers hand "Talk to me"

The blonde sighed and went to speak when her radio crackled to life "15-09, your needed at the station" the dispatch announced.

"I've gotta go" she said, she kissed Holly "I love you" she said and took off.

"I love you too" the brunette said to her as she went.

 

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It was well into the afternoon, Gail had been silent ever since returning from the lab. They'd heard there had been a possible murder case around lunchtime, so she hadn't worried about taking lunch to Holly as she would have been out. Her and Chloe were silently eating a sandwich when a call came through that made the blondes heart stop "All units within the vicinity of the Morgue, please respond to a possible assault with a deadly weapon on staff, reports that one has been shot"

The blood drained from Gail's face, she dropped her lunch into Chloe's lap and started the squad car, the younger officer started the lights and siren as the blonde took off down the street "15-09 responding" she answered the radio call "She'll be okay" she said.

Gail didn't answer just concentrated on getting there as fast as possible. When she pulled up outside the lab, there were no other squad cars around, they both jumped out and went in the building "What happened?" She asked the woman at the front desk, who was sitting on the ground trying to stop the bleeding from a gunshot wound on the security guards leg.

"This guy came in raving" she said "Something about needing to see his brother, when Tom tried to calm him down, he shot him and took off towards the lab"

"Is Holly down there?" The blonde asked.

"Yea I'm sorry Gail" the security guard said.

"It's okay, has anyone come out?"

"No" the receptionist said "But the emergency lockdown might have been tripped it's meant to keep people segregated when there's a biohazard" she tugged the key from the security guards neck "this will open the doors"

The both made their way the corridor to the stairs which led to the lab, the elevator would alert the gunman to their presence "We should wait for back up" Chloe said.

"If it was Dov down there would you wait got back up?" Gail asked her.

The younger officer picked up her radio "15-09, requesting EMTs, we have a gunshot victim and other possible casualties, also requesting back up as gunman still at large"

"EMTs and back up on route 15-09" the dispatch answered.

"Slowly and quietly" the blonde said as they made their way down the stairs, once they were on the floor with the lab and autopsy rooms, Gail saw people sitting, hiding in the corridor, among them was Rodney, he crawled over to the officer once her saw her.

"Who is in there?" She whispered and squatted down.

"Just him, Holly and the body she bought in" he said "it was a killing in a meth lab, she was just starting the autopsy when he barged in waving the gun around, he hit her with the gun a couple of times but Holly still managed to get us out here, we couldn't get out because in an emergency the doors automatically lock, only senior staff and security have the override key and Holly's the only senior staff on today, it's suppose to keep us safe not lock us in"

Chloe had the key and was holding the door to the stairs open "Get them out of here" she whispered to her partner.

Gail moved around so she could see into the autopsy room "Is Holly okay?" She asked Rodney.

"She's got a lump on her head and a split lip but aside from that I think she's okay" he said.

"Okay, go" she said to him, he went leaving the officers, they were both squatted down watching the room, the blonde couldn't see her fiancee but could see the man pacing..

"So what now?" Chloe asked.

Before Gail could answer she heard Holly's voice trying to reason with him, she got closer to the window and looked in, the brunette was in a chair, she had a split lip and a cut above the her eye, there was blood all down her face and shirt "I'm going in there" she said, she unholstered her gun and took a deep breath, she got back down and moved over to the door "Sir" she called our "This is the Toronto PD, is everyone okay in there?"

"Go away" he snapped.

"Unfortunately I can't do that sir, there's a man upstairs bleeding and you have our forensic pathologist in there" she looked over at Chloe, who shrugged at her. Her radio crackled and she turned it down "Can I come in there with you, see if we can sort this out?"

It went quiet for a few seconds and then the blonde heard the automatic lock on the door release, she holstered her gun, not wanting to appear threatening. She stood and opened the door very slowly, trying not to startle him, he raised his gun at her "Put your gun on the desk" the desk was behind her and she was between it and him so she complied.

Once the gun was down she leaned on the desk, intent on staying close to her weapon, should she need it "You doing okay, Dr Stewart?" She asked Holly, she didn't want to give away the fact they were in a relationship as he might use it.

"I'm okay" the brunette said, slurring slightly.

Gail could see her lip was swollen and no longer bleeding, but her forehead had a lump and a cut on it. Internally the blonde was holding herself back from attacking him, he'd hurt the woman she loved and she would love nothing more than to tear his throat out "So what's the problem sir?"

"Peter" he said he was twitching and started pacing again "My name is Peter"

"Gail" she heard her brothers voice on her radio, she turned it down, they could talk to Chloe. She did rest her finger on the button on her belt so they could hear the conversation.

"Okay Peter your obviously after something, what did you need?" She asked calmly.

"The key, I need the key" he said.

She looked at Holly who shrugged at her "Key to what?" She asked.

He laughed "I'm not gonna tell you, I'm not stupid" he rubbed his arm and looked at it. Gail knew what junkies looked and this guy was showing the classic signs.

"You need a fix don't you?" She asked.

"No I just need that key" he said "get me the key" he walked over in front of her, she put her hand behind her back and put her hand on her gun, then he stalked away from her.

There was a bang outside the door and everything seemed to go in slow motion, he lifted the gun and shot at the windows, they were reinforced so they didn't shatter, then he turned and aimed the gun at Holly, Gail whipped her gun around and shot the side of his knee, he dropped his weapon and went to the ground screaming and holding his knee. She picked up his gun as the officers outside came in and secured him, Gail went straight to the brunette "Holly" she said, lifting up her head, which had slumped forward during the take down "Holly, baby please" she said, as she brushed her blood soaked hair from her eyes.

Brown eyes opened to meet blue "Gail" she mumbled.

"I'm here" she said as the brunette fell forward into her arms "Steve" she called to her brother having seen him come in "I've got you" she said and kissed her head, with Steve's help she laid her on the floor, her bleeding head in her lap.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

They were at the hospital, Gail had refused to leave Holly's side, not even when the doctors tried to restrain her. They gave up and allowed her to stay with the semi conscious doctor, they had paged a neurologist, just to give her the once over, her lip and head had been stitched but she wasn't waking up fully and that was the concern. The brunette had a big bruise on her forehead that extended over her eye and her lip, chin and cheek were bruised, Gail was sitting next to her, holding her hand, resting her head in the bed next to their joined hands "How is she?" Wendy asked, startling the blonde.

She sat up "She okay I guess, she remembers me and who she is when she is awake, they're admitting her for the night for observation, they are pretty sure it's just a concussion, the neurologist will be here soon then they're sending her down for a CT" Gail looked at their hands, playing with the ring on her finger "She not very coherent when she's awake, it's like she's extremely drunk"

Holly's mother moved over and put her arm around her future daughter in law "I heard you saved her"

"I visited her earlier today and I was in a shitty mood, she said a court case moved up on her and I got mad because..." She shook her head "It was dumb"

"Did you fight?" She asked.

"No I just acted like a brat, we were okay when I left. Then we got the call over the radio that someone there was shot I was nearly sick" Gail explained in an even tone, she was holding in her emotions.

"Gail.." Wendy started but was interrupted when the doctor came in.

"So we have Holly Stewart here with a bump to the head" he said.

"Bump to the head" Gail said incredulously "She was pistol whipped you..."

"Hun" the brunette slurred from the bed, she squeezed her hand.

"Sorry" he said with a slight blush, he gave her a quick neurological exam "We'll send you down to CT but I'm fairly certain its a grade three concussion, she should be more herself tomorrow and back to normal in few days, I'll get you taken up to the neurology floor once the scans done"

"Thanks" Holly said closing her eyes.

The doctor motioned for them to come outside "She'll be here for about 24 hours, we'll need to wake her every hour and check her responses just to make sure there is no memory issues" he looked at her chart "I'm fairly confident there will be no lasting damage"

The blonde nodded "Can I stay with her tonight?"

He sighed "I'll see what I can swing, I'll talk to the nurse on the floor"

"Thanks" she said tiredly and he left.

"What can I do?" Wendy asked

"Can you stay with her for a while?" She asked "I need to change and take my gear back to the station, I'll wait till she's back from the scan"

"I'd be happy to"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Gail walked down to the waiting room in emergency, she walked through the doors and everyone talked at once, she ignored them grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him aside "She's bruised and battered but no fractures or bleeds in her brain, she's got a grade three concussion and they're keeping her overnight. I need to go clean up at the station" she said gesturing to her bloody uniform "I've left your Mom with her for now, I'll drop in home and get her a few things" 

He pulled her into a hug "Thank you for saving her speed bump" he whispered, he let her go and let her walk away, cutting off the others from following.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

The blonde had arrived at the station, given her statement, something she would have to do again with SIU before she would be allowed back on the street due to her shooting the suspect, even though it wasn't a fatal shooting. She had a quick shower, bagged her bloody uniform and was just finishing packing her gear when Oliver came in "I know, I shouldn't be in here but I don't care. How is she?" He asked.

"Not great" she said honestly, her shoulders sagged, she turned and collapsed on him crying "She got a grade three concussion" she said through the tears "stitches in her lip and head" he hugged her tight "when we got the call I thought the worst, it...."

"I know" he said he guided her down on the bench "We have to live this job and in a way so does she" he said "the man, Peter Jenkins, is a junkie, turns out the dead guy was his brother and they had a stash in a locker at the bus terminal, meth, money and heroin" he explained "Once he's able to be interviewed, your brother wants to try and find out his source, but don't worry he won't be making a deal for it. Every one agrees he goes down for the attack today, no matter what he gives them"

Gail managed to get her emotions back under control "Good, he's lucky I didn't shoot him in the head after what he did to her"

"I know Darlin" he said and kissed her head "Can I give you a ride?"

"No I'm good" she said, brushing the tears away "I've just gotta go home and grab her a few things then I'm headed back to the hospital" she moved away from him, stood and grabbed her bag.

"Gail" he said, he knew her walls were going up, it was something he hadn't seen since she had worked things out with the doctor, even during her accident.

"Yea?" She asked sounding tired.

"I'm here if you need me" he said, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop her retreat.

"Thanks" she said and left.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Matt was sitting next to Holly in the hospital, the doctor was still under the effects of the concussion, she was in and out, when she was awake she was asking for Gail who had disappeared a few of hours ago, she'd said she was going to the station then home.

"How is she?" Wendy said from the doorway.

"Getting more coherent every time she wakes up, she's still asking for Gail" he said.

"She's scared, give her some time" his mother said.

"It's been three hours Mom, I called the station, she left two hours ago" he stood up "She's running" he kissed his sleeping sisters hand "I've gotta go find her"

"Don't you think you should stay out of it?" She asked.

"No, from what I know of Gail this is enough to send her into a full blown panic" he said "I'll call when I find her"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Gail" he called walking to the house, he'd contacted Steve in his way home to get them to look too. He looked around, she had at least been here, her bag was on the kitchen bench with her phone next to it. He pocketed her phone and headed upstairs, he had just made the landing when his phone rang, it was Steve "Hey, any sign of her?" He asked.

"Her car is at the Penny, no ones gone in, I figured I figured I'd wait for you" he said.

"I'll be there in ten" he said and took off back downstairs.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Gail had meant to go straight back to the hospital but the silence at home was deafening, she had gotten Holly's things then sat on the bed. She could have lost her, she shuddered at the thought. Then she'd just got up and left, leaving her fiancees things, her phone and drove to the Penny, she need to drink, she needed to forget. She sat drinking, tears leaking out occasionally. She was on her fifth shot when someone sat next to her "So what happened, the doctor finally realised you weren't enough for her"

The blonde looked at him, it was the same man who had told her once before that he could get Holly to switch sides "Fuck off" she said and turned back to her drink, she threw it back and held out the glass.

The bartender walked up and placed a glass of water in front of her "That first" he said, he knew who she was and also had gotten a phone call from Steve asking him not to over serve her.

"Fine" she said and had a mouthful.

The guy hadn't given up "So did she dump you is that why your crying like.."

He didn't finish his sentence, Gail was in his face "Shut your fucking mouth or I'll shut it for you" she turned back to the bar.

"I'd like to see you try" he said with a smirk.

The blonde struck out with an elbow, hitting him in the face, he stumbled back "I don't have to try" she mumbled. She stood and stalked after him, everything she felt over the course of the afternoon was coming out at him, she got a few good punches in before he struck back, he punched her twice then tried to restrain her. 

The bartender finally managed to get between them, he was helped when someone grabbed Gail from behind, she struggled against them until Matt spoke "Gail, it's okay"

She heard his voice and stopped, she sagged against him and sobbed.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"What the hell?" Matt all but yelled as pushed Gail into the house. Once she'd recovered, she had walked out of the bar without speaking, Steve tried to talk to her but she'd told him in no uncertain terms to fuck off. Holly's brother managed to get her into her car and had driven them back home, Gail was bleeding and would need a change of clothes before going back to the hospital. 

Once inside the blonde made a beeline for the alcohol. He grabbed her arm "No, no more"

"Really" she said pulling her arm away "You want to fight with me too?" She asked.

He grabbed her, threw her over his shoulder and took her to the downstairs bathroom, she was yelling and hitting at him the whole way, he turned on the cold water in the shower and dumped her on her rear end in the spray, she screamed and he walked out. Closing the door behind him. He went and sat in the sitting room, he knew the cold water would jolt her into sobriety, it had for him on many occasions. He heard her stomp up the stairs muttering after about ten minutes. He waited another ten then went to check on her. He found her sitting, dressed in a hoodie and jeans on the bed in the bedroom she shared with his sister, looking at her hands "How are you doing?"

He watched her flex her jaw "My face hurts" she said softly not looking at him.

"Is your hand okay?" He asked.

"Yea I didn't bust it this time, just bruised" she said showing him she could move it.

"I know your scared" he said.

She glanced at him "She could have died, he hit her with his gun then was going to shoot her in the head" she was wringing her hands "if we didn't get there when we did...."

"Gail" Matt said and took her hand "you of all people know you can't spend your life saying what if"

"But..." She started but he stopped her.

"No, you just disappeared on the woman who loves you more than life itself because of what ifs, did she deserve that?"

"No" Gail said softly "I'm sorry"

"You don't need to apologise speed bump but we do need to get you back to the hospital, she needs you right now"

"Your right" she said then she looked at him.

"Your already getting a black eye" he said "And a bruise on your cheek"

"And thanks to you my ass hurts too" she said with a pout.

"You'll live" he said and got up "Come on, we'll clean up your wounds and get you back to Holly"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

By the time they got back to the hospital it was getting near the end of visiting hours, Wendy watched her now bruised future daughter in law came in, she sat gingerly next to Holly and picked up her hand, she kissed it and muttered an apology "What happened?" She asked Matt.

"She got drunk and got into a fight" he said "She's a little freaked out"

"She just shot the man who was threatening her fiancee, I can understand"

The nurse came in to check on Holly "Visiting hours is almost over, I'll need you guys to leave shortly" she said.

"Can I stay please?" The blonde asked tearfully.

"Are you Gail?" She asked.

"Yes"

"I talked to the surgeon, you can stay but only if you stay quiet and don't cause a fuss" she said, she could see how upset she was and figured letting her stay would be easier than making her go.

"I'll be quiet" Gail said and sniffed, she looked back at her sleeping love.

"Is she okay?" The nurse quietly asked Matt and Wendy.

He nodded "Well she's her fiancee but she's also the officer who saved her so she's pretty distressed"

"Has she seen someone about her eye?" The blondes eye was already bruising and the white part of her eye was red.

"I'll get her to get it checked tomorrow" he assured her.

She nodded and turned to the bed "I need to wake her up to do her neurology check" she said to Gail, who nodded "Holly?" She said softly, giving her shoulder a gentle shake.

"Hmmm" she muttered, her eyes fluttered and she said "Gail" sleepily.

"Yea beautiful I'm here" the blonde said squeezing her hand.

The brunette looked over at her "Hey" she said, she frowned slightly and winced at the pain "last time I checked, you didn't have a bruised cheek, black eye and from the look of it a burst blood vessel in your eye" she said as she sat up slightly in the bed.

"It doesn't matter" Gail said, she was still teary "I'm sorry I was such a brat this morning I know your job..."

"No sorry needed" Holly put her hand on her cheek "What happened to your face?" She asked.

The nurse cleared her throat and the Doctor knew she'd have to wait to talk to her about it "Sorry Holly I need to do your check"

The brunette gave her attention to the nurse for the five minutes it took to do the tests. Gail watched, as she did it.

Once the nurse was done, Wendy said good night to her daughter and left, asking that they call tomorrow when she's discharged.

"I should get going too" Matt said standing.

"Can I have a word?" Gail asked. He said good night to his sister and Holly watched them go out of the room.

"I'm sorry about earlier" she said as the door closed "I know better than to get drunk and in a fight when my almost wife is laying in hospital"

"We all slip up Gail, trust me, there have been a few times it would be easy for me to use again but I'm stronger than it and your stronger than you think" he pulled her into a hug "no apologies needed" he rubbed her back as she gripped his shirt "What happened this afternoon can stay between us if you want it to"

Gail sniffed and pulled back "No, I get in enough trouble for not being completely honest in therapy, I think I need to tell them I lost it, got slightly drunk and into a fight"

"Cold water works wonders on drunks" he said with a grin.

She let him go and hit him on the shoulder "Did you have to drop me, my ass is killing me"

He grinned at her "I'll take your car so call me if you need anything or if she gets out and I'll come get you"

"Thanks" she said, giving him one last hug.

"Anytime, speed bump, anytime"

They said their good nights and Gail headed back into the doctors room, she closed the door, expecting Holly to be asleep, she leaned her head against the door "What happened?" The brunette asked, making her jump.

"What?" She said, the blonde turned and moved over to the bed.

"What happened when you disappeared?" Holly asked again and took the blondes hand.

"We can talk about it later, you need rest" Gail said and slowly sat in the chair next to her bed.

"I'm okay, I'm a little more with it now" the brunette slurred slightly as she laced their fingers.

The officer grinned a little then winced as it hurt her cheek "When you can speak without slurring like a drunk, I'll believe you" she reached out and brushed her hand over her lovers unhurt side "I thought I'd lost you today" she said, the tears coming back.

Holly touched the hand on her face and Gail's face screwed up in pain, she pulled it back and looked at it "Really?" She asked and kissed the bruised knuckles "What happened Hun, please just talk to me"

The blonde sniffed back the tears, looked at their joined hands and kissed the back of her fiancees "Like I said, I thought I lost you today, when I went to get cleaned up at the station, they took my statement, I had a shower and talked to Oliver then went home" she still wasn't looking at the brunette.

"Gail?" Holly said, she looked up at her "Don't feel guilty, things happen, we'll work through it"

The blonde skipped forward in her story "I was home and I don't know I just... I needed a drink so I went to the Penny"

"Well that explains the slight smell of tequila" the brunette said with a smile.

"Sorry" the blonde said with a blush "I'd had five shots when that guy who said he could get you to change teams started on me, I told him to fuck off a few times and eventually I lost it, I elbowed his face then punched him a few times, he hit me back a couple of times trying to stop me, the bartender tried to stop u Matt came in and grabbed me from behind and I fell apart" Holly just let her talk, running her fingers up and down her arm, trying to reassure her "he took me home and I tried to fight with him so he picked me up and literally dropped me in a cold shower"

The brunette chuckled "He learnt that from me"

"Yea well it did the trick" Gail said "I..." She sighed and rested her head on Holly's shoulder "I was so scared" she whispered.

"I know sweetheart, so was I" the brunette shifted over "Come up here with me"

"No" the blonde said shaking her head "I don't wanna get kicked out"

Holly smiled "Get up here, Rocky" she said.

Gail sighed, she pulled off her boots and got up on the bed next to her, once the brunette was settled against her, she relaxed "How are you feeling?" She asked as she ran her hand up and down the doctors back.

"Like I'm in a thick fog, my lip and head hurts" she said "I'll be okay though, a few days off resting and I'll be back to normal"

The officer kissed her head "I'm sorry"

"What for?" Holly asked.

"For trying to climb the tree again" Gail explained.

"That's okay, Matt pulled you back down"

"Yea right on my ass, it still hurts"

Even though it hurt, the brunette couldn't help but laugh.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

The nurse came in an hour later, Holly was awake, curled against Gail "She shouldn't be on there with you" she said.

"I know" the brunette said "She's been through a lot, she has PTSD from an abduction by a serial killer, she was run over by a another one then today, she had to shoot the man who did this to me" she said pointing to her face "I'm actually really surprised she's still even remotely sane right now"

"Wow" the nurse said "You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, I must admit I thought she was just...." She stopped "anyway I'm sorry for thinking badly of her"

Holly shrugged "You weren't to know" she kissed the blondes hand she was holding.

"I can see she loves you very much" she said as she took Holly's blood pressure.

"That I know" the brunette said "the fog in brain seems to be lifting, my thoughts and memories are a bit sharper"

"That's good a quicker recovery means your less likely to have lasting issues, but you'd already know that" she said with a grin.

"I did go to med school" the doctor said.

"Stop flirting with the nurse" Gail mumbled tightening her arm around her.

Holly rubbed her hand on her arm "I wasn't, she's doing my check up"

"You were, you were doing your nerdy thing that I like" the blonde said sleepily.

The nurses raised her eyebrow "Sorry" she said with a blush.

"So you should be" Gail said and went back to snoring.

"I don't think she was awake" the nurse whispered.

"Me either" the brunette agreed. 

"Shall we get this done so you can both get some rest?"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly had been released from hospital the next morning, she was recovering quickly, she would be off work for a week and the blonde had to wait for clearance from SIU and the division shrink before she would be back. Gail had spent the day making sure Holly was resting and taken care of. The brunettes parents had visited in the afternoon. They'd headed to bed early, both still exhausted from the day before.

It was early hours of the next morning when Holly woke with a start, she sat up, the nightmare was still clouding her brain, she held her head in her hands and winced at the pain that shot through her brain "You okay baby?" Gail's sleepy voice asked from beside her, she was also sitting rubbing her hand up and down the brunettes back.

"Bad dream" she said and sighed shakily.

"Can I do anything?" The blonde asked.

"Just...." Honestly the doctor didn't know what she needed in that moment but all she wanted was the woman next to her "I just need you" she said and sobbed.

"You've got me Hol, I'm right here" she tugged the brunette back and they laid together while the brunette cried.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Gail appeared first the next morning "Hey" she said to Matt who was pouring coffee from the machine.

"Whoa" he said upon seeing her "And I thought Holly's face looked bad"

"I know, and my eye makes it looks worse" the blonde grumbled as she got a mug down.

"Yea, you got that devil eye thing going" he said as he sat at the bench "You guys want some breakfast?" He offered.

"It's okay I'll make us something" she said and yawned.

"We're suppose to help her heal not poison her" he said with a chuckle.

"Smart ass, I can cook" she said

"I'll make you something once she's up" Matt said "Chris is coming over after his shift this afternoon, is that cool?" He asked.

Gail frowned "He's a friend of mine and he's here all the time, why the sudden need to ask permission?"

The brunette man blushed and looked at his cup.

"Is there something going on between you two?" She asked.

Before he could answer her cell phone rang "Dammit" she said and tugged it from the pocket of her robe, it was Frank's extension at the station "Don't think this is over" she said and answered "Hello"

"Morning, how's the doc this morning?" He asked.

"Getting better" the blonde answered.

"SIU will be here today, can you come in about 12 and bring Holly with you so we can get this closed and you back on duty"

"Sure, we'll be there at 11.30 so you can give her a heads up on how to handle the interview"

"Sounds good, see you then Gail"

"Thank you sir" she said and ended the call.

"SIU?" Matt asked, he was beginning to understand the inner workings of the Toronto police force from his conversations with Chris and Gail.

"Yea, they need to talk to both of us about what happened" she said putting her phone back in her pocket "So you and Chris?"

"No" Holly walked in the kitchen and came up behind the blonde leaning on her, she kissed her unbruised cheek "You don't have to answer that" she said to her brother "and I told you not to get involved" she said as she moved back and slapped her on the ass.

"Owww" the blonde whined "My ass is still sore from him dropping me on it" she said rubbing it with one hand and pointing at Matt with the other.

"Don't be a baby" The brunette said "So what are we doing today, since neither of us have to work?" She asked as she got a mug from the cupboard and filled it with coffee.

Gail walked over and took the mug from her hand "Nope, they said you can't have caffeine or any other stimulants until at least your check up" Holly pouted at her, Gail kissed her healthy cheek "We need to go to the station by 11.30, SIU want to interview us both about the incident"

"Yea we knew that was coming" The brunette said.

"Okay so breakfast" Matt said and stood "Waffles?" He offered.

"Sounds good" Holly agreed.

"I'm gonna have a quick shower" Gail said and disappeared.

"I can talk to you guys about Chris you know" he said to his sister once her fiancee was out of ear shot.

"Only if you want to and feel comfortable, sometimes she's too pushy, coming out for you. Then for Chris, dealing with his addiction and if there is something happening, his sexuality, you don't need Gail pushing you about it" Holly said, sounding angry.

Matt walked over and got some headache pills from the cupboard, put them in front of his sister then placed a glass of water next to it "Take something" he said and started moving around the kitchen, making breakfast for them all.

"How did you know?" She asked picking up the pill bottle.

"You always get crappy about random shit when you've got a headache" he explained "And for the record, there is nothing currently going on between Chris and I. He's told me he's bisexual, its part of the reason he got into the drugs, that and Christian. We've talked about how we feel about each other, we like each other a lot but since he's only just out of rehab and I'm not ready, nothing is happening, we're friends"

The brunette gave him a smiled after she swallowed the pills "I just want you to be happy little brother, I'll support whatever you decide"

"I do like him Hols, he's a good guy" he said "He's having Christian this weekend, he isn't even his kid but he wants to be his Dad" 

"He's a great guy, Christian's real father is in jail for kidnapping him" the brunette thought for a second "Isn't it better for him to have a clean break from the boy though, couldn't it set back his recovery if Denise rips him away again"

"Well, technically she named Chris as his father on the birth certificate and it hasn't changed, as far as the government knows he's the father" Matt said "he's in contact with his therapist about it, with Gene in jail things are easy and when he does get out he'll have restricted contact with him"

"Hopefully he won't get out until Christian is old enough to decide who he wants in his life" Holly said.

"We can only hope"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Christmas Eve came quickly, after a week both women returned to work without any problems. Gail was being praised for her actions during the incident due to the fact that there was no loss of life and she had acted calmly in the situation. Holly and Gail were making their way up to the front door to the Peck house, the blonde had been quiet since they'd gotten out of the SUV, the brunette had opted not to drink as they had plans with her family and Sophie the next day. Gail didn't really want to drink but knowing what these parties were like she wanted to have the option "I'm sorry" the officer said as they got closer to the door.

"Already? We're not even inside" Holly said jokingly, she squeezed the blondes hand "It's alright Hun, I've met your family, I do have an idea what their like"

"Yea but his isn't just my family, this is the entire hierarchy of the Toronto police force" Gail said.

"Look as long as the chief of police isn't running around in his underwear I think I'll be able to handle it" the brunette said and tugged her to a stop, she pulled her against her "Just relax, your not alone this year" she reminded her, she dropped her hand and bought both her hands up to frame her face "I love you" she said and kissed her softly.

Gail's hand came up and slid inside her coat "I love you too" she said when the kiss broke "Thank you for being here"

"Anytime" Holly said, she gave her another peck on the lips then pulled away, taking her hand "Come on let's get this done so we can go home to bed"

They walked to the door, the blonde didn't bother pushing the doorbell, she walked straight in. She took her fiancees coat and hung if and hers in the closet "Gail" she heard a voice call.

"Here we go" she whispered to Holly, plastered a fake smile on and walked over to greet the man who called her.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

After the first half an hour, Holly lost Gail to the crowd. They were all talking about the indecent at the morgue, she wasn't interested in hearing about it over and over again so she'd stepped away and then hadn't been able to get back to the blonde since, every time she caught sight of her she'd be gone by the time she got there. After an hour and a half of trying, she gave up and found a quiet spot, in what appeared to be a games room, there was a pool table, dart board and a giant TV in there. The brunette picked up the cue ball that was laying on the table.

"It's usually my daughter I find hiding here" a voice said.

She turned go see Bill Peck standing in the doorway "Sorry, I just needed a break, they keep talking about what happened at the morgue"

"I know, she's getting a lot of attention from it and a few job offers I'm told" he said.

"Yea I know, she even got an offer from ETF, she turned it down straight away" Holly said "There are a couple she's considering, we talked about it a lot, maybe some time in the future she look into being a homicide or sex crimes detective right now she's happy just being on the street and not really interested in changing it"

"What do you think about it?" He asked her.

The brunette turned the ball over in her hands "I think she should do what ever makes her happy, if it's walking the beat for the rest of her life that's her choice not mine, just like if I decided to go back to school to become a surgeon, she would support me because she knew it would be what I wanted. Even if she'd taken the ETF offer I still would have supported her, it goes without saying that I would be terrified every time she left the house, if it made her happy it would be worth it"

"You are definitely a cops wife already" he said with a smile "You talk like one"

Holly put the ball back on the table "you can't help who you fall in love with"

"No you can't" he said "But I will say this, I'm glad she found you. You bring out the best in her, she's herself when she's with you, I worried for a long time that she'd never find the one she needed but she did, she found you and I can think of anyone else I'd rather have her spend the rest of her life with" he moved to leave.

"Are you..." She stopped for a second, hesitating, then decided to continue "Did you just give me permission to marry Gail?"

"Do you need it?" He asked, smiling.

"Well, I would like to have it, can I marry your daughter?" She asked.

"Holly, you had my blessing the first night we met but yes you can marry my little girl" he said and left her.

She grinned to herself, that was something she hadn't expected, she was still smiling a minute later when Gail located her "Finally" the blonde said as she came in "I thought you'd left me here"

Holly reached out her hand, the other woman took it and she tugged her into her "I would never do that" she said as she wrapped her arms around her "Something weird just happened, your father just gave me permission to marry you"

The blonde slid her arms up around the brunettes neck "Did he now?" She asked smiling.

"Yep, he likes me" she said and gave Gail a peck on the lips.

"He does" the blonde confirmed "You doing okay?" She asked "I know people keep talking about what happened"

Holly's smile dimmed a little "I'm okay" she lied.

"You disappeared" Gail stated "Your not okay" she added calling her on it.

The brunette rested her head on the blondes "I just don't want to talk about it that much"

"We can get out of here if you want, the guys are at the Penny, we could go for a drink" she offered, sliding her hands up and down her back.

"Don't you need to stay?"

"Nope, I turned up, made the rounds, I am officially released from family obligations for the holidays" Gail said "Dad said they might drop in tomorrow night for coffee but that's about it" she kissed Holly and pulled away, taking her hand "Let's get outta here"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

It's was 6 am the next morning Gail was awake watching her fiancee sleeping, as a kid she woke up early on Christmas morning, even when she was living alone or with the boys she found herself awake early. She brushed the hair from the brunettes face and kissed her forehead softly, she stirred and opened her eyes "Hey" the blonde whispered and kissed her softly "Merry Christmas baby" she said as she moved over the doctor, half laying on her.

Holly grinned at her "Merry Christmas to you too sweetheart" she lifted her head and kissed her back. She pulled back she rested her head on the pillow, she glanced at the clock "Your awake early" she commented, running her hands up and down her lovers back.

Gail shrugged and rested her chin on the chest of the woman under her "I've always woken up early Christmas morning"

"Your gonna be one of those moms who wakes the kids Christmas morning aren't you" the brunette said and yawned.

The blonde smiled and blushed slightly "Probably" she admitted "I do have something that will hopefully make up for the early wake up" she said as she leaned over her side of the bed and grabbed a gift back, she sat with her legs crossed, she was wearing winter pyjamas as was Holly as it had been snowing over the last few days.

The brunette smiled at her and got up, she moved over to the closet and disappeared inside, within a few seconds she came back with three brightly wrapped parcels in her hand, she sat opposite Gail on the bed, she placed the presents in her lap "Open them" she said.

The blonde handed her the bag "You too" she said.

Gail opened the first one "Mortal Combat X" she said with a big smile, she leaned over and kissed her.

"Matt said you'd been talking about it, he said he's gonna buy it too so you can play against you after he moves" Holly said. The brunette unwrapped her first gift, it was a box, inside was a key "What's this?" She asked picking the key up.

"This is the key to the front door of your Christmas present, open the rest" Gail said cryptically and continued opening her own gifts, inside was a set of diamond earrings and a new woollen cost she'd been looking at but never seem to find the time to get "Thank you, I love all of them" the blonde said, she kissed the still shocked woman and laid on the bed.

"Gail" Holly said "What is this?" She asked again.

"Lunchbox, just open the rest it will be self explanatory" she said.

The brunette shook her head at her fiancee and opened the second box, it was a map, there was an X marked on it. She raised her eyebrow at the blonde and opened the last one, it was documents and a photo of a beautiful cabin "Really honey, what is..." She drifted off as she read "Did you?" She asked "You bought a cabin?"

Gail beamed at her "We both loved staying at Oliver's cabin, we're getting married at another one, you won't let me pay a cent for anything here so I figured my money could go to something for both of us. A place for our family to have holidays at" Holly gasped and almost tackled the blonde to the bed, she landed on top of her and kissed her passionately, tears running between them Gail kissed her back happily after a minute she slowed the kiss and pulled back "There's a few things" the blonde said, she tucked the brunette hair behind her ear "I have the money organised, there is just one thing we need to do first, there is a choice of two cabins, after the new year we're driving up to decide which one we like best, then we both sign the deed and the place is ours"

Holly smiled down at her "You really are full of surprises aren't you?" She said brushing her fingers over her cheek "This is too much"

"No Hol, you are my everything and you deserve everything, I love you so much" Gail said and pulled her back into another kiss, determined to show her exactly how much she loved her.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Merry Christmas" Gail said as she walked in the kitchen to find Matt at the kitchen bench drinking coffee while playing on his laptop, when he didn't answer, she realised he had headphones on, she tugged one out of his ear "Merry Christmas" she said again.

"Merry Christmas" he answered "So you two are finally done I see" he added as he got up to refill his coffee.

The blonde blushed crimson as she filled two mugs with coffee then topped up his "Sorry about that" she said.

He shrugged "Don't be, that's why I have headphones" he shut down and closed his laptop "I'm assuming she loved the cabin?" he asked.

"She loves it" Holly said as she appeared in the doorway "Merry Christmas" she said and kissed his cheek then slapped his arm.

"Merry Christmas and What was that for?" Matt asked rubbing the spot.

"You knew about it and didn't tell me" the doctor said, she took her mug of coffee off Gail and gave her a kiss.

"If I'd told you, Gail would have killed me and no offence sis but she's a lot scarier than you are" he said and stood "Now whose up for breakfast"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Sophie and Kira arrived an hour after they finished breakfast, they shared presents and spent time playing with the little girl. Both Matt and Holly were sitting back watching Gail with Sophie and Kira "I need to ask you a favour" the brunette said to her brother.

He looked at her "You sound serious" he comment.

"It is serious" she took a breath "Gail and I, we want to have a baby"

"I know" Matt said, Holly gave him a look "I live here Hol and I'm not deaf, I've heard you two talking about it"

"Well we were wondering if you could help us" the brunette said "If Gail carries the baby we were hoping that you would donate so the baby would be as genetically close as possible to being ours"

He smiled at her "Honestly, I'd hoped you would ask, I'd be more than happy to help and sign whatever papers you need"

She smiled "You know if..." 

"Alright, Hol, let's not go there yet" he said, nudging her with his shoulder.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

The couple spent lunch with Kira, Sophie, Matt and Chris then they headed with Chris and Matt, to Holly's parents for dinner, it was almost midnight by the time they were home and heading to bed "I still can't believe your buying us a cabin" Holly said to Gail, the blonde was in their room changing while the brunette brushed her teeth.

"Are you happy about it?" Gail asked.

"Of course" Holly assured her "I just can't believe your the same person I met months ago"

"I'll take that as a compliment" the blonde said coming up behind her, resting her hands on her flannel covered hips.

"It was meant as one, when I bought back the thumb that day, you told me you still acted like a teenager. A teenager doesn't buy a holiday cabin for her family" she said putting her hand over Gail's and tugged it around her waist "I'm really proud of you"

"I had a good reason to grow up" the blonde added squeezing Holly's hand "We're doing it again" she added rocking them a little.

"What's that?" The brunette asked.

"Being sickeningly sweet" Gail said with a grin, squeezing her around the middle.

"It's Christmas we're allowed to be" Holly remarked "Merry Christmas Gail"

"Merry Christmas Baby"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

It was the day before New Year's Eve, both women were working, there had been a bombing in a carpark then in the city the day before, Holly ended up with bodies and lots of evidence to process and hadn't been at home since the morning before, she grabbed an hour's sleep here and there when she could . Gail had been partnered with Nick to do a stakeout in the morning at possible location the bomber, Ted McDonald, she'd been texting the brunette most of the time they'd been there "You know we're suppose to be watching for this guy" Nick said.

"Yea, I am" the blonde said absently.

"Yea sure, if he was in your texts you might see him" he commented.

Gail looked up at him "What's your problem?" She asked.

"Nothing" he said with a sigh.

"Nick" she said "I know we've been, well nothing for a while, maybe we should try being friends"

He looked at her "I wasn't expecting that"

"What can I say, I'm trying to be a grown up" the blonde said slipping her phone in her pocket "The reason I'm texting Holly is she was at the lab all night last night and I haven't seen her since yesterday" she explained "Now what's up your ass?" 

"Nice Gail" he said then sighed "I'm thinking about moving on, the undercover jobs have been interesting so maybe onto the drug squad or ETF maybe"

"Really?" The blonde asked.

He shrugged "There isn't much keeping me here, if anything, watching you, Andy, Dov and Chloe, Traci and Steve all so happy kinda makes me feel alone"

"Sorry" Gail said

"Not your fault, I screwed us up years ago and Andy, I knew, going in how she felt about Swarek" he looked over at her with a smile "Plus I think at some stage that whole lesbian thing would have become an issue between us"

The blonde chuckled "Especially when Holly came into the picture"

Nick smiled at her "You really are happy aren't you?" He asked.

Gail looked at the ring she'd left on this morning "I really am, she's... well she's everything"

"I'm glad you found her"

"You'll find your someone too" she said.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Once Ted McDonald was bought in, Gail and Nick were both called back to the station. The blonde was busy with paperwork, she wasn't overly involved in the bombing case, which was okay with her "Peck?" Frank called her.

"Yes Sir" she said standing.

"Can you please take the...." He didn't get to finish his sentence as there was and explosion that rocked the building, they turned to see both Sam and Oliver take off upstairs "Help clear the building" he said and followed his officers.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

As it turned out, a bomb went off in evidence and then McDonald had been found with his wrists slashed. The whole thing was suspicious. The building had been cleared and declared structurally sound. They had just been told they could go back in when Gail saw Holly walking quickly up the carpark "Holly" she called and met her halfway, away from the other officers, the brunette tugged her over behind the blondes SUV and pulled her into a kiss, they kissed passionately as Holly held Gail as close to her as possible. 

Eventually, the blonde pulled back "Not that I mind making out with you, but are you alright?"

"Me?" Holly asked "I wasn't in the building with an explosion, I heard about it and that a few officers were injured, then I get a call to come and process a scene and body" the exasperated brunette said angrily "Forgive me if I thought it could be my wife"

"Well I'm your fiancee but I'm sure we could look for your wife" the blonde said trying to lighten the mood.

"Gail don't be a smart ass when I'm freaked out" she said running her hand across her forehead knocking her glasses askew.

The blonde said grabbing her arms "Holly, it's okay, if I'd been hurt someone would have called you" she wrapped one arm around her lover and put her glasses back in place with her other hand then rested it on her cheek "I'm fine sweetheart, I wasn't even on the floor the explosion happened and the body your here to see is the suspect, he died in the interview room from bleeding out" she explained "Everyone who was in the explosion survived"

Holly nodded, she was feeling better now she knew Gail was okay "I'm sorry, I just..." 

"I know" the blonde said "it's alright" she added and tugged her into another kiss.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly was looking over McDonalds body, only Frank and Oliver were in the room as they were worried about how it had happened "What do you think Doc?" The TO asked.

"I would love nothing more than to declare this a suicide and close the case" the brunette said examining his wrists.

"But it's not" The staff Sergeant said "I had a feeling it wasn't"

"No it's not the angle of the cuts are wrong when you factor in the fact that he was restrained, there's no way he could have done this, this way. I won't be able to move the body until SIU comes in, will I?" Holly said, snapping off her gloves.

"They're already coming" Frank said "Once they clear the scene, how long until the full autopsy results?"

"If I do some shuffling of the other ones from the bombings, maybe by late tonight, very early tomorrow" she said with a sigh, she'd planned on being home tonight.

"Hopefully we can get this wrapped up before the new year" Frank said and left.

"I don't know about you doc but that sounds to me like wishful thinking" Oliver said.

"Yea, I don't think this is going away quickly"

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"Hey" Gail said walking into Holly's office, hours later.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in street clothes" she asked, knowing it was almost midnight and the blondes shift ended a while ago.

"Frank asked me to cover a shift tonight since I was one of the first officers cleared of McDonald's killing" The other woman frowned "I'm on the security footage at the front desk the whole time, plus you won't be home again tonight so I figured work was better than not sleeping" she explained as she pulled her heavy jacket off, not needing it in the heated office.

"Aww" the brunette smiled "You miss me"

"Of course I miss you, I can't sleep when your not there" Gail said, she dropped the coat over a chair, went over and stood in front of her.

"Nightmares?" Holly asked as she rested her hands on the blondes hips.

"One or two" Gail confessed "I'll be fine" she said when she saw her fiancees concerned eyes.

"Okay" the brunette said "So how long have you got?" She asked as she moved her hand around fingered the buckle of her duty belt

"I have an hour break because of the, you can only work so many hours in a 24 hour period policy, have something in mind do you doctor?" the blonde asked with a grin

"Well" she started as she unbuckled Gail's belt "I was thinking we both have some time right now" she stood up "and I believe I owe you something" she tugged the belt free and gently placed in on a nearby chair.

The police officer grabbed the doctor by the lapels on her lab coat, she pushed the officer chair out from behind her then manoeuvred them so Holly was on the desk, Gail kissed her softly, she slipped her glasses of her and put them on the desk "I missed you last night" she said, placing her hands on Holly's thighs.

The brunette put her hands on the blondes chest "Gail, we need to lock the door and close the blinds, the camera from out there points in the windows and your fellow officers have a tendency to walk in before knocking"

"I'll do the door, you do the blinds" the blonde said, they both moved to secure the office.

Holly caught up with her against the door, she pushed into Gail's back, running her hands up and down on the blondes behind "I must say I love the way your ass looks in your uniform"

"Is that so?" Gail asked as she braced herself against the door.

"I also happen to love the way it looks out of your uniform too" she said as she reached around and unbuttoned her pants "are you concealing anything, or should I just strip search you to make sure" Holly purred in her ear, making the blonde shudder and almost melt into a puddle, she slowly undid the zip on her pants and started sliding them and her boy shorts down her legs "Nothing yet" she said as she pushed them further down, she tugged off the heavy boots her lover had on and slipped her pants and underwear off, tossing them onto the same chair her duty belt was on. As she moved back up her body, she ran the fingers on both hands up the back of her thighs. As she reached the top of them, she put one hand between her legs and ran her finger along the wet folds "Hmmm your wet already" she hummed in her ear. She started tugging at the vest covering her fiancees chest, as important as it normally was to keep the officer safe, it was blocking her from her current task. She quickly got it off, adding it to the pile. Gail went to turn around but Holly stopped her "I'm not finished yet" the brunette said as she started unbuttoning the other woman's shirt "Do you want me?" She whispered to the blonde.

"Yes" Gail groaned, her fingers straining against the door frame as she was trying to hold herself up.

Holly tugged up the undershirt and the blondes bra, taking the flesh into her hands and teasing the already straining nipples, she kissed her neck softly as she teased her. Gail tried to move again, but the brunette held her firmly with her body. She slid her hands down her abdomen and back up, one hand went further down, brushing against the wet folds, the other returned to teasing her breasts.

"Hol" the blonde moaned out, her hips pushing forward trying to gain some friction against her hand.

"What do you want sweetheart?" Holly asked, whispering in her ear.

"You" Gail panted, she turned her head "I need you"

"I've got you" the brunette said "Turn around" The blonde turned and wrapped her arms around Holly, she kissed her hard. As they kissed, the brunette lifted Gail's leg and rested it on her hip. The blonde hooked her leg around Holly pulling her in closer. The doctor, ran her fingers up and down the pale flesh of the semi naked officers thigh, she broke the kiss and leaned down quickly sucking on both nipples, then returning to a particularly sensitive place on her neck.

Gail hips rolled against her involuntarily against her lover "Please" she begged, she needed relief.

"I've got you" Holly said, she put her left arm around Gail then tugged the blonde into her tighter and lifted her off her feet pushing her back against the door.

Gail's other leg wrapped around the brunette, helping her stay up "You okay?" She panted.

Holly didn't answer, her free hand slid around the blondes thigh and fingers brushed against her dripping sex "You ready?" She asked as she brushed her fingers against her clit. The blondes body shuddered at the contact, she whimpered unable to speak. The brunette knew how close Gail was already, work had gotten in the way since Christmas, so she was already on edge. She lifted the blonde again slightly and entered her with two fingers, immediately thrusting in a quick rhythm.

"Oh fuck" Gail groaned loudly holding tight to Holly's shoulders, her head next to hers, hips thrusting against the brunettes hand.

"Shhhhh Hun" Holly said not stopping at all "There are people still here"

The blonde didn't answer just held on harder and buried her face in the brunettes neck. They moved together, Holly thrusting deeply into her, Gail's hips moving in rhythm against her "More" the blonde moaned into her. The brunette pulled away and slipped a third finger inside of her "Oh fuck baby, I can't hold on" she cried desperately.

"Let go"Holly whispered, as she moved her thumb and rubbed against Gail's clit.

"Oh god, I'm cumming" the blonde cried out as her back arched and her body shook, the climax tearing through her. The brunette kept thrusting, helping her ride out the orgasm while she shook shuddered through it, gasping loudly.

Holly knew what was about to happen, so she held onto the blonde and backed up the few steps it took to get to the couch and dropped them both on in. Gail still shaking ended up boneless on her lap with her fingers still buried inside of her. The brunette sat running her free hand up and down the blondes back under her shirt "You doing okay there?" She asked kissing the side of Gail's head.

"That was hot" the blonde mumbled, still a little out of breath.

Holly slipped her hand free causing the woman in her lap to shudder again "It was" she agreed.

After a minute or two Gail sat up a bit looking down at her bra and undershirt tucked up over her breasts "We must look a sight" she commented going to pull the garments back down.

Holly stopped her "wrong way" she said as she tugged the blondes uniform shirt off and tossed it onto the chair with the rest of her uniform "We have more time and I'm not done with you yet" she said as the undershirt and bra followed.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

When Holly took the report over from McDonald's autopsy to 15 it was around 4am and SIU were everywhere. She was interviewed and they also asked questions about what she knew of the other officers. She saw Traci waiting outside as she left "What is going on?" She asked in a hushed voice.

The detective looked around then, led Holly into the detective office, she closed the door "The footage is missing from the recording in the interrogation room, the only people who have access to remove it are senior officers, The police commissioner was here, he hit McDonald, the man tried to kill his step son then openly accused him of corruption, he said the proof was in his hard drives which were partially destroyed in the explosion, Dov is working on them to see if any things left, the only one who knew what was on there was murdered" she explained "The prints you pulled from McDonald will, hopefully, be the proof we need"

"Wow" the brunette said "Should you be telling me this?"

Traci smiled "Probably not, but everyone else is busy and I needed to get it off my chest"

"Do you really think he did it?" Holly asked.

"From what I've seen with the SIU interviews, yes"

"Shit" the brunette said.

"I know" the detective agreed.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Within an hour, the police commissioner had been arrested for murder, as the prints found in the blood on the victims wrist were his. SIU were continuing the investigations into the bombing and destroying evidence. Dov was working with the SIU officers to recover enough from the broken hard drives to possibly lay corruption charges. This had bought most of the Toronto Police higher ranked officers to 15 the next morning. Gail, thankfully was finishing her shift when they arrived, now she had New Year's Eve and day off she was planning on spending it with Holly. She walked out of the locker room and saw her mother up the corridor, the problem was she was talking to her fiancee who had come to pick her up, she turned and went back in. Holly saw the blonde over her future mother in laws shoulder, she excused herself and headed to the locker room she just saw Gail disappear into.

"You chicken" the brunette said as she rounded the corner.

The blonde, who was standing next to the doorway, grabbed her hips and tugged her against her "it's called self preservation, I'm exhausted and want to just go home with you and sleep until everyone harasses us to the Penny to drink in the new year" 

Holly put her hands on Gail's chest and played with the lapels on her jacket "About that, Matt called, he kind of invited Chris over tonight, who accidentally mentioned it to Dov and invited him and Chloe who..."

The blonde rested her head on the other woman's "Is a big mouth and now everyone's coming to ours tonight for a party we don't want and aren't ready for" she finished for her.

"Something like that" Holly said and brushed her nose with Gail's "How about we go out the back, head home and get some sleep then threaten to beat my brother up and make him organise it all"

"Sounds good" the blonde said, she gave the brunette a kiss then let her go, she grabbed her bag and Holly's hand and led her out the back through the Sally port.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

Holly woke up first and head downstairs, she found Matt cooking in the kitchen "You do know Gail's ready to kill you?" She said as she went to the fridge for water, the sat on a stool at the counter

"I figured she would be" he said. He moved over to a grocery bag and pulled out a box of donuts and a bag of cheese puffs "will that help?" He asked putting them in front of his sister.

"Maybe" She said "So exactly how many are coming?"

"Us with Chris is four, then Dov and Chloe, Traci and Steve, Oliver and Celery, Andy and Sam. So twelve" he said.

"No Nick?" Gail asked as she came in.

"He said something about plans with a women he knocked off her bike but he might drop in" Matt said with a frown.

The blonde laughed "he opened his door right in front of her" Holly gave her a look "Oh she was fine, she got back up and told him off"

The brunette shook her head "So what time are they coming?" She asked her brother as Gail put the coffee maker on.

"About 8, most of them were on shift today" Matt said "I've told them if they want alcohol, they bring it themselves" he moved to the stove to stir the pot he had boiling "Once I'm done here, I'm going shopping"

The blonde opened the box of donuts and took one out "More donuts and cheese puffs and I might forgive you" she said picking up the box and heading into the sitting room.

"She's easy to placate" he said.

"Yea, maybe, you do remember I didn't want this either, don't you?" Holly said as she got up to get coffee.

"I know, that's why I'll be picking up your choice of alcohol and dessert" her brother said "Honestly I didn't mean to throw a party, it just kinda snowballed"

After pouring her coffee, she leaned on the bench "It does sometimes with them, it's okay, they're good people. If they weren't I'd be really pissed" she grabbed another mug and poured Gail a cup, once she was done, she went to got to the sitting room "I'll leave you to your organising while we watch" she said and went in search of her fiancee.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

"It's really good of you guys to do this on short notice" Oliver said as he and Celery arrived.

"Don't look at us" Gail said from her spot perched on the breakfast bar facing out towards the sitting room, next to a bowl of cheese puffs "Holly's brother did it, well him and Price's big mouth" she said eating another cheese puff.

He chuckled as he helped Celery out of her coat "She not happy about it I see" he said to the doctor. 

Holly rolled her eyes "She's fine about it, she's just being a brat" she said loud enough for the blonde to hear.

"Me? Never" Gail said with a smile as she took a sip from a beer bottle.

The brunette came back and stood where she had been, between the blondes legs facing out, when she did Gail tilted her head back and gave her a kiss "I love you" she said and brushed her finger over Holly's cheek.

"I love you too" the brunette said back to her.

Everyone but Nick had arrived, the couple watched as everyone interacted with each other "It's amazing isn't it" Gail said.

Holly turned around and put her arms around the blonde "What is?" She asked looking up at her.

"How much life can change in a year" she pushed the brunettes glass back up on her nose "if someone had told me that by now I would be in love with and engaged to the most wonderful woman in the world, planning a wedding and a baby, on decent terms with my mother, and hosting a New Year's Eve party I would have said you were crazy"

"True, who'd have thought you'd ever host a party" Holly said with a grin.

"Wise ass" Gail said and wrapped her legs around her, she put her hands on the brunettes cheeks and kissed her softly.

"Sorry to interrupt" Andy said from the refrigerator.

The blonde pulled back "What's up McNally?" She asked.

"Matt said there was a bowl of sauce in here for the chicken but...." 

"I'll get it" Holly said, she gave Gail a quick kiss and moved around the bench and into the kitchen.

"Thanks" Andy said and went to go.

"Andy" the blonde said making the other woman stop "I..." She stopped the sighed "In the interest of being more mature, I want to umm.." She did want to do this but was having trouble saying it.

"You trying to say you wanna bury the hatchet?" The other woman asked, unsure.

"Something like that" Gail said "Is that okay?"

"Yea, I'd like that" Andy said still a bit shocked.

"Okay, so truce" the blonde held it her beer bottle.

The other woman clinked it with her own "Truce" she said a left.

Holly came back to Gail after delivering more food to the group "Did I just hear you make up with Andy?" She asked.

The blonde shrugged "We were never good friends to begin with but we work together and it's too hard being at odds with her, I figure if I trust her with my life I should at least make an effort not to be an asshole to her" she drained the rest of her beer.

"I'm proud of you Hun" the brunette said, wrapped her arms around her and hugged her "I know that took a lot"

Gail shrugged again, shaking of the compliment "We should stop being anti social" she again took Holly's face in her hands and kissed her softly and slowly, teasing her. She let her go and grinned at her expression.

The brunette opened her eyes and licked her lips "Kissing me like that does not help me feel like socialising" she stated as she stepped back so the blonde could get down.

"I know" Gail said as her feet hit the floor, she went round the bench and grabbed another two beers from the fridge "I just couldn't help myself" she said offering her lover a beer.

Holly took it "I know the feeling" she said as she watched the other woman's ass as she walked into the sitting room.

 

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It was getting close to midnight when Chloe decided it was time to do New Years resolutions, she started "Mine is to make sure I'm more honest with Dov about things" she said and looked at her boyfriend.

"I want to try and get into either intelligence or the detective rotation" he said.

"Sam?" The perky woman asked.

"Ummm, to try not to screw things up with McNally" he said squeezing Andy's hand who was sitting next to him on the floor.

"I wanna try not to fuck up at work again" the brunette next to him said.

"Instead of a resolution I have an announcement" Oliver said, he looked at Celery who nodded "Over the holidays I asked this beautiful lady to marry me and she said yes" 

Congratulations came from everyone with pats on the backs and hugs.

"Traci what's yours?" Chloe asked.

"Just to make more time for Leo" she said

"Mines to make sure the ones I love are safe and not be so blind to other people's needs" Steve said "Your turn Sis"

"To be a grown up" she looked at Holly "And to remember that I don't need to deal with things alone anymore"

"We won't let you forget" Matt piped up "Mine is the same as last year to stay clean and try to be happy"

"Yea I think mines the same" Chris said smiling at Holly's brother.

"Who's left?' Andy asked

"Celery and Holly" Chloe said.

"Well I have the same one every year, just to be happy" Celery said.

"Holly?" Traci asked.

"After the last year, it's not so much a resolution as it's what I hope, and that's that were are all as happy and healthy as we are now and maybe next year we'll all be here to do this again"

"Here here" Oliver said.

 

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It was almost midnight, Gail had disappeared a few minutes before when they started talking about the Allen case. Holly found her standing on there front porch with a blanket around her shoulders "You okay?" She asked.

"Yea, I'm just tired and not in the mood for killer talk right now" the blonde said looking out on the snow covered road "I don't think anyone's going home" she said pointing at the buried cars.

"That's okay, there's camp beds in the office, the room upstairs has a bed and the fold out couch. We'll fit them all" the brunette said.

As she approached her Gail turned and opened the blanket, wrapping it and her arms around Holly "It's been one hell of a year" the blonde said.

"It's been one of the best I've ever had" her fiancee said, pulling her tight against her.

"Mine too" Gail agreed "Did you make the appointment for the fertility doctor?" She asked.

"Yep on the 10th at four" Holly said "You nervous?" She asked.

The blonde started swaying them to help them keep warm "More excited than nervous"

"Me too"

The conversation stalled when they heard the count down inside "5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

"Happy new year baby" Gail said and kissed her fiancee. They kissed softly, just enjoying the quiet moment together.

When they pulled back, Holly noticed movement in her brothers bedroom, she looked over to see her brother and Chris sharing a kiss "Look" she said and pointed.

"I knew it" Gail said with a chuckle.

The brunette distracted her by slipping her hands under her shirt "Happy new year sweetheart" she said and kissed her again "Let's go and get everyone set up for the night so we can take this to bed" she said slipping her hands up to her lace covered breasts.

"You tease" the blonde moaned.

"And you love it" Holly, said pulling away and heading inside.

"I do, God I do" Gail said and followed close behind.

 

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I hope you enjoyed the huge update, wedding is in the next one which I've already started. Also K-9 update will be up shortly.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

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So, I'll start with I'm really sorry this took so long, I know interest dies when people take too long to update, I didn't intend to take this long, studying, life and my back got in the way. Hopefully this long update will go towards making up for the time it took for me to post this. Please read and review.

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Chapter Twenty One

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Gail looked at her watch, it was an hour until she finished work, meaning it was two hours until their appointment with the fertility doctor. After which, they'd decided they were going out for dinner, just a casual one, but alone together. In all honesty she was a lot more nervous about this appointment than she was about the wedding. The week and a half since New Years had been busy for the couple, they'd taken a drive up to see the cabins and Holly had agreed with the blonde on which cabin to buy, she initially tried to talk her out of it on the drive up but once she'd seen it, she fell in love with it. They'd almost finished all the wedding preparations and Gail had given in and they were having a joint Bachelorette party on Friday night, three weeks before the wedding. The blonde had requested desk duty to ensure she would be finishing work on time for the doctors appointment. She looked at her watch again "You know the time hasn't changed since you looked at it two seconds ago" Chris said from next to her.  
"Shut up" Gail said, as she went back to entering the last persons details into the computer.  
"Your allowed to be nervous" he said "This is kind if a big deal for you guys"  
The blonde shook her head "Chris, leave it alone" she said.  
"Sorry" he said, putting his head down into the paperwork he was doing.  
Gail sighed "No I'm sorry, I'm just... I really want this for us and yea I'm really nervous"  
Chris looked over "I would be too if it was me" he said trying to reassure her, she looked at him, he could tell she didn't want to discuss it "Anyway good luck" he said.  
"Thank you" the blonde said "I'm sure you'll hear about how it goes from Matt"  
Gail watched as Chris flushed red at the mention of the blondes almost brother in law "Gail" he said, slight warning in his tone.  
"Come on Chris, you guys must have talked about it" the blonde said, happy the focus was off her.  
"We did, right now we're not ready, okay" he said looking at the paperwork, avoiding the prickly woman's gaze.  
"Your still around a lot for someone whose not ready" Gail pointed out.  
"Should I call Holly?" He asked, knowing the doctor would be pissed if she knew her soon to be wife was trying to get information out of him, when Holly had told her repeatedly to stay out of it.  
"Nark" she said and slumped back in her chair "Fine, I'm sorry, I won't ask again"  
"Look" Chris said "If something changes, I'll tell you okay" ending the conversation.  
Before they could say anymore, someone came to the desk.

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Holly was finishing up for the day when she got a call from her boss, she considered not answering and calling back after she left, but her conscience got the better of her "Dr Stewart" she answered her phone, resting it on her shoulder as she packed up her kit and briefcase.  
"Holly, I'm glad I caught you, do you have a few minutes before you leave? I know you mentioned an appointment but this will only take a few minutes?" He asked.  
"Fuck" the brunette mouthed, she looked at the clock in the wall, she still had plenty of time, she just wanted to get to 15 before Gail finished as she knew how nervous the blonde was "I'll be up in five" she said.  
"Good, I'll see you then" he said and hung up.  
Holly sighed and put the phone on the desk, that man had terrible timing.

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Holly knocked on her bosses door "Come in" he called "Ah Holly, good, take a seat" he said.  
"I..." She started.  
He stopped her "I know, you haven't got long" he said for her "I just wanted to talk about the fact your contract is up in a month. Now I know it was your original intention to only stay with us for a year" he held out paperwork to her "But due to all your hard work for us, the brilliant work on the Allen case and In the interest of keeping you with us, the city asked me to offer you a new position, it will be a ten year contract, you'll be our senior Forensic Pathologist, second only to me, meaning you will have a choice on which cases you work on. We will hire another pathologist to work under you, you will have a say on who we hire and I know you were interested in teaching, so I can also offer you to take over our intern program that Davidson was running. The new position will been a substantial bump in money as well and when I say substantial were talking almost double you current wage"  
The brunette sat there speechless "Do I need to give you an answer now?" She said glancing at the paperwork.  
He smiled at her "No, take the contract to your lawyer and discuss it with Gail, it will mean more work for you but with us hiring another pathologist it means your hours will be more flexible" he then pulled another contract "Or we can offer you a ten year contract at your current position if your not interested in the new position"  
Holly rubbed her forehead "I must say I wasn't expecting this when you asked me to come to see you"  
"Your a great asset Holly, your definitely worth it" he said. The brunettes phone beeped in her pocket, she already knew it was Gail, they'd been texting on and off all day "I'll let you get to your appointment, you've got until your contract runs out next month to think about it, so don't worry about giving us an answer until after your wedding"

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Holly walked into the front door of 15, she was still a little blown away by the offer from the city, the brunette may have thought briefly of leaving her current position when Gail had walked away from her months ago, but now, she had only thought about asking to renew her current contract, she never thought she would get an offer from the city like the one she'd just been presented with "Hey" Her fiancee said with a smile from the desk, she noticed the brunette was preoccupied "You okay?" She asked as she pushed the buzzer that opened the door into the bull pen, she got up and met the doctor just inside the door.  
Holly snapped out of her daze "I'm great actually" she said with a reassuring smile.  
Gail took her hand "Something happened though" she said as she leaned in and gave the brunette a quick kiss.  
"Just work stuff, we can talk about it at dinner" she said, squeezing the blondes hand.  
Gail let it go "Just give me ten to go change" she gave her another peck on the lips and went towards the locker rooms.  
"Hey Holly" Steve said, he'd seen her from Traci's office "I just wanted to let you know I did what you asked this morning"  
The brunette blushed a little "Thanks" she said "Matt did his this morning too" their brothers were both having their fertility tested as well, they'd all had blood tests at the local doctors during the last week, just to ensure they were healthy. The funny thing was, both men were very interested in the results and kept talking about it, neither woman really wanted to talk about their brothers sperm count but neither of them would shut up about it.  
Before Steve could talk anymore, Traci called him away, Holly mouthed 'Thank you' the detective waved and smiled.  
"Holly, just the woman I wanted" Chloe said going over to her.  
"If it's anymore on the party, I don't care, talk to Traci or Andy" she said stopping the other woman in her tracks "I'm sorry" the brunette said noticing she looked deflated "I've had a stressful day, email me your ideas" she said, giving in. The smile returned to Chloe's face, she nodded and she left.  
Holly moved over to Gail's desk and flopped in the chair, she leaned back and closed her eyes. She stayed that way for a few minutes, until her fiancees hands rested on her shoulders and she kissed her forehead "You sure your okay?" Gail said looking down at the brunette, her hand moving to her cheek.  
"Yea, I'm fine, I promise" Holly said, she kissed the blondes hand then got up. She checked her watch "We should go" she said.

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They were at the Doctors office, they'd arrived about fifteen minutes before their appointment, Gail was pacing the floor, wringing her hands and occasionally biting her nails "Your going to wear a groove in the carpet" Holly said "Come and sit down, I'll tell you what happened this afternoon"  
The blonde stopped and sat, happy to have a distraction "What's going on?" She asked.  
"As you know my contract is up next month, Henry calls me into his office as I'm leaving to talk about it"  
"They offered you another one didn't they?" The officer said, her lips curling into a smile.  
The brunette smiled and took a breath "The city has offered me a new position, Senior Forensic Pathologist, I'll be second in charge, I'll have freedom to choose cases, they're going to hire another pathologist to work under me also they're taking the intern program off Davidson so I'll be teaching too and they'll almost double my current salary"  
Gail was grinning "How long is the contract?"  
"Ten years" Holly said.  
The blonde took her face in her hands "I love you, my brilliant beautiful fiancee" she kissed her, just a quick peck on the lips, considering their location.  
"So you'd be okay with it then?" She asked hesitantly.  
"Its a great opportunity and it means we wouldn't have to move or anything, Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" Gail asked with a frown, her hands dropping to the brunettes.  
"Well, if I'm starting a new position next month, it kinda means I can't take the time off" Holly said slightly dejected.  
"Oh I get it" the blonde said, taking her hand "Your a little upset because you might not be able to be pregnant and handle the pressures of the new job" she put her other hand on the brunettes leg "You know I'm happy to do it, don't you?"  
"I know sweetheart" she said squeezing her hand "I wasn't even thinking that I would do it, but I liked the idea"  
"I know, me too" Gail said, she shrugged "Well I guess that decision is made"  
"I haven't said yes to the job yet though" Holly pointed out.  
"Why not, it's close to what you were looking for and it means nothing has to change" the blonde said sounding surprised.  
"Because I needed to talk to you first, you will be my wife in a little over two weeks" she explained.  
"Oh" Gail said "I didn't think about it like that, I figured you would have just accepted it" she added with a shrug.  
"You would talk to me before accepting a job, wouldn't you?"  
"Of course" the blonde said.  
"So why would I accept one without discussing it with you first?" Holly realised in that moment how far Gail still had to go self esteem wise when it comes to their relationship, she talked tough but really she was just waiting constantly for the other shoe to fall. "Gail, I'm not going anywhere, you know that don't you? You, me and this baby were about to make, are my family"  
"I know" Gail sighed "I just.."  
"It's okay" the brunette said.  
The conversation was stopped when the doctor called them in.

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They talked to the doctor for a while, explaining their situation and what they wanted out of it all. Even though, if Holly took the job, Gail would be the one to carry the baby, they were both examined.  
Afterwards, they sat down again with the doctor "Okay so everything looks normal with both of you, we can go ahead as soon as your ready" she said then looked at the file in front of her "both samples that were dropped off this morning, were very good clean samples, both counts were within the high range"  
The brunette couldn't help but chuckle "Sorry" she said "It's just they've both been excited about finding out how virile they are"  
"That is more common than you think, I'll give you a copy of the pathology so you can show them, now have you decided who is carrying the baby?" she asked.  
"Well Holly got offered a great promotion today and I'm at a point with the police force that I can take some time to do this" Gail said, looking at her fiancee "So I'm fairly certain it will be me"  
"Okay when are you thinking about doing this?" She asked.  
"Well" the blonde said as she glanced at Holly again "I finished my cycle about a week and a day or two ago, I'm fairly regular so I guess if everything is good we could try this month" she was still looking at the brunette.  
"I'm happy to do it when your ready but we are just about to have the wedding, are you sure?" Holly asked.  
"Yea" Gail said "Matt's still around, plus it's possible it won't take the first time anyway" she said  
"Okay" the brunette said with a smile "We're gonna do this"  
The blonde smiled back "We are" she said and kissed Holly's hand, then turned to the doctor "So what next?"  
"Next is you choose how you want to do it, we can facilitate it for you, or give you a kit to do it at home. Most couples choose to do it at home as it usually works best if your sexually stimulated then bought to orgasm afterwards. As you'd imagine not everyone finds a doctors office sexy" the doctor explained, both women had to bite their lips, since their first tryst in pathologists office before the new year, it had happened a few more times and it would seem they were both quite turned on in a doctors office "Now as Holly is herself a doctor, I can't imagine you would have too many issues using the kit"  
Holly managed to take a breath, Gail sat there with her hand over her mouth still trying not to giggle "I think at home will be best for us, my brother is the donor so we will have access to a very fresh sample and then we can be more comfortable, alone."  
They talked for a while longer, asking questions about the best time to do it. She gave them an insemination and an ovulation kit to help get the timing right. As they walked out, carrying lots if pamphlets and the two kits in a bag, Holly's hand slid into Gail's "You really wanna start right away?" She asked "I'm all for it honey, I just wanna make sure your sure"  
"Hol this is something I've wanted since Sophie came into my life, I'm ready to be a mom and if we can start that now then why wait, if it takes this time we'll be getting married like a week or so after conception" she tugged the brunette to a stop "How about we go to dinner and talk about it" she said and kissed her.

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They went to the Italian restaurant and ordered, the conversation was fairly light, when there meals arrived, they started eating before the blonde broached the subject again "Are you sure you're okay with everything?" Gail asked, after a spoonful of food as she broke a piece off the bread on the table, she'd noticed her lover wasn't her normal self.  
"Right now, I'm a little numb about it all, I mean a few hours ago, I was only hoping I'd keep my position with the city, now if been offered a ten year contract and a promotion" the brunette looked at her food "And because of that you want to take on having the baby, which I..." She sighed "It's stupid" she said.  
"If it's how you feel it's definitely not stupid" the blonde said as she reached out, holding her hand out until Holly put her hand on hers.  
"It is stupid, I'm upset because I wanted to do it" the doctor said.  
Gail smiled at her "That's okay, you can do it next time" she linked their fingers "I don't know about you but I definitely want more than one"  
"Really?" Holly said squeezing her hand.  
"Yea of course, I'll take this one, you can have the next one" the blonde said.  
"Okay" the brunette said now smiling.  
"So is everything okay now, your taking the promotion, I'm going to carry the baby, is there anything else?" Gail asked.  
"Nope" Holly said, giving her hand another squeeze "everything's great"

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Friday night came around quickly, the party was a Traci's apartment, Matt offered to drive them over before work. They were standing out the front "Cab to the Penny?" Gail asked.  
"Come on, stop being a baby" Holly took her hand "Plus it's too bloody cold out here" they made their way upstairs.  
The brunette went to knock on the door when it opened "It's about time" Traci said.  
"Sorry" Holly said "Someone was dragging her feet" she said, tugging the reluctant blonde inside.  
"Here" Andy said coming over and handing the blonde two beers "That might help"  
"Thanks, Keep them coming" Gail said as she handed one to Holly and took a long drink of hers.  
The brunette took it and lead the blonde in the room, they sat on the couch designated for them. They put bride to be sashes on them, fussing over them as they did, Holly didn't mind but Gail looked positively sullen, the brunette leaned over "At least look happy" she whispered.  
"Why?' The blonde asked.  
"Otherwise I'll make you stay longer and you won't get laid when we get home" Holly said quietly.  
"I'll try" Gail said.  
"You'll more than try or I'll make you wait until the wedding" the brunette said in a tone that made the blonde realise she wasn't playing around.  
Gail looked at her, Holly raised her eyebrow "Alright, I'll be good" the officer said giving in.  
"Good" the doctor said and kissed her cheek.

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After doing all the normal bachelorette games, and opened all the embarrassing presents you get on those occasions, the couple ended up in kitchen chairs next to each other, the group eventually settled around the room and started talking "So what kind of doctor are you?" Chloe asked Rachel.  
"I'm a pulmonologist, I work at the Cystic fibrosis clinic at St Pats, I'm also an OB/GYN but I'm not pursuing that side of medicine at the moment " she said having a sip of beer.  
"Wow" Andy said "It must be great working with the kids but heart breaking too"  
"It can be but we're in contact with doctors all over the world and there is some headway being made on better treatments and testing everyday" the doctor explained.  
"So any embarrassing Holly stories?" Traci asked.  
"I have lots of embarrassing stories but I also made a pact, she didn't reveal mine at my wedding so I won't do it for hers" Rachel said, holding hands in the air.  
The brunette grinned at her "I'm so glad we did that" she said.  
"Now" Chloe said "We have a surprise and you have to stay there, so we need to do this" she took Gail's arm and slapped her handcuffs on one wrist and attached the other to the chair, doing the same to Holly.  
The blonde tugged on the metal restraint, when it didn't give, she immediately tensed, she glanced at her fiancee as she start shaking "Hol.." She said, the panic written all over her face.  
"Give me the key" the doctor demanded towards the perky officer.  
"What" Chloe said, not understanding that there was a problem with her fellow officer being restrained.  
Gail started madly pulling at the cuff, trying to rip her hand free, she stood and the chair came with her, she pulled and tugged on the cuff trying to get it off, breathing hard as she did "Holly, please" she said again, pushing at the metal trying to get free.  
Traci grabbed the key and handed it to the brunette, she quickly uncuffed her lover who, left the room at a run, heading straight into Traci's room, slamming the door behind her.  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't think" Chloe said, having realised the problem.  
"It's okay" the brunette said, Traci undid the cuff on her wrist and headed towards the detectives bedroom, she looked around the room and saw Gail sitting on the floor, in the corner near the closet, her knees pulled up to her chest, holding them tight against her, she could hear her breathing was erratic. She closed the door, leaving the sounds of music and conversation outside.  
Holly sat cross legged in front of her "It's okay" she said running her hands up and down the blondes arms "breathe, in and out" as the other woman copied her breathing, the doctor kept rubbing her arms, once she calmed a little she spoke again "Did you hurt yourself?" She asked. She tugged Gail's hands free, she could see a few grazes and welts that bruises were already forming over on her hand and wrist "I'll get some ice" she said going to stand.  
"Don't" the blonde said grabbing her hand "just stay here for a minute" Gail looked up "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out. I just, for a second, went back to that basement"  
"You don't ever need to apologise or explain to me Honey" Holly stood up and tugged the blonde to her feet and into her arms "Nobody at any stage said they were going to do that, if I had known I never would have allowed it" the brunette said as her fiancee, with her arms around her, held on tight, her head resting on her shoulder, she kissed the side of her head "You ready to go back out?' She asked.  
Gail pulled back and rested her forehead on Holly's "I just wanna go home" she said "Half an hour more, then we're going" she said.  
"That's fine with me" the brunette said and the walked out hand in hand.

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After the cuffing indecent, the party was subdued, the plans for strippers and a contest to see who could escape the cuffs, that Chloe had made, were cancelled and the couple left fairly quickly, leaving the group to drink and party without them.  
"Are you okay?" Holly asked as they made their way into the house.  
"Yea" Gail said she walked to the fridge and opened it, looking inside.  
The brunette put her bag on the bench and cuddled the blonde from behind "How is your wrist?"  
Gail showed her "A bit sore" she sighed and leaned back into Holly, letting the fridge close.  
Before anymore could be said Matt came into the kitchen, wearing just boxers, followed by Chris, whose hand he was holding, dressed in the same attire, they were chatting and grinning happily until they saw the other couple, both men froze like deer in headlights "Hey" Gail said as relaxed her body against her fiancees "Sorry we're back so early" she said. The brunette backed up a little so she could lean on the bench "I had a bit of a panic attack" she explained. Matt nodded, neither of the men had moved.  
"Did you guys have dinner?" Holly asked.  
"Yea I cooked" Matt said, relaxing a bit when they didn't comment on the situation.  
"How about we grab some beers and hit the PlayStation?" Gail suggested as she ran her fingers over her lovers arm, she wasn't looking forward to going to sleep.  
"Sounds like a plan" Chris said nodding, he still hasn't released the other man's hand.  
"We'll go get into something more comfortable, while you put some more clothes on and we'll meet you on the couch" the doctor said as she released the blonde and they headed out of the room.  
"Okay so now can I ask?" Gail asked, as she closed their bedroom door behind them.  
Holly looked over at her as she tugged her top over her head "No" the blonde opened her mouth "Hear me out" she said and Gail shut up and went to her pyjama drawer "Obviously they're getting together, they'll tell us when they're ready, I personally think it's really sweet, they looked pretty smitten before they realised we were there" the brunette turned and picked up her pyjama top and started putting it on, she was about halfway through doing up the buttons when her lovers arms circled her waist and slid under the fabric "Gail" Holly moaned as her hands reached her lace covered breasts "Your the one who suggested we play games with them" she shuddered as the blonde started kissing her neck.  
"That was because I didn't want to go to sleep, I would much rather spend the whole night making love to my beautiful wife to be" Gail said into her neck.  
The brunette caught hold of her hands, pulled them out of her shirt and linked their fingers "We'll give them a couple of hours, let them know we're not judging them, then we can spend the rest of the night however you like"  
The blonde reluctantly agreed and they managed to behave long enough to get back downstairs.  
They found the two men sitting together, Chris on the couch and Matt on the floor sitting between his legs, they were both wearing sweats and t-shirts and they had started playing one of the racing games. Matt paused it and looked over "We figured we'd go with racing so Hol can play too" he said.  
Both women picked up the controllers and sat in a similar way, with Gail on the couch and Holly on the floor. Chris looked at her "Your okay with this?" He said gesturing between Matt and himself.  
She looked over at him, knowing this moment could make a huge difference to how things could go for the very new couple "As long as your happy, I don't care who you love" she gestured towards Holly "I have my own Stewart right here, so believe me I get it" she said.  
He grinned at her "Thanks" he said.  
"Now play Diaz so I can kick your ass"  
The siblings had watched the moment unfold, they shared a smile then concentrated on the game.

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Gail was in the bathroom the next day, she'd started doing the ovulation kit a couple of days ago, the doctor had explained that it was best to do the kit after lunch to ensure they catch it the day it starts. They'd just had lunch out with Chris and Matt, the other police officer was on shift so he headed to work while the other three went home. She'd left Holly and her brother talking downstairs and came up to do the test. She waited the allotted time and checked the stick, she frowned as she hadn't expected it yet and compared it to the picture on the box. She dropped the box and dashed out "HOLLY" she yelled over the banister.  
The brunette bolted over "Are you alright?" She asked looking up at her.  
"I think.... Come up here now I need you to check this" Gail said waving the stick at her.  
Realising what the blonde was yelling for she grinned up at her "Really?" She asked as she walked up.  
Slightly overwhelmed Gail shrugged "Maybe, well yes if I read it right"  
When Holly reached her she took her hand and they headed into their bathroom, retrieving the box from the floor, she took the stick and compared them, her smile widened as she read it "You are definitely ovulating sweetheart" The blonde threw herself at her fiancee, Holly caught her and they hugged for a minute or so, the brunette pulled back first "I need to go tell Matt, you run a bath and relax" she gave her a few kisses "You ready to do this?"  
"I want this for us, so much" Gail said, her arms still around Holly's neck, she kissed her softly.  
"I do too" the brunette said she gave her one last kiss and headed out the door. The blonde turned and started getting ready for her bath. Hopefully they will make a baby today.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A while later, when Holly returned, Gail was still relaxing in the bath. She got everything she would need together. Matt had done his part and left very red faced, it was something the siblings promised to keep between them. The brunette poked her head in their bathroom to see the blonde lounging back in the tub "You enjoying yourself there?" She asked.  
Gail grinned at her "Of course" she said "Wanna join me?"  
As much as the sight of her lover naked and reclined in the bath was tempting, the longer they waited the less likely this would be effective "As much as I'd love to I think there is something more important we should do first" she stepped in the room, grabbed Gail's towel and held it out to her. The blonde smiled at her and stood up in the bath, the water dripping down her body as she did. Holly's throat tightened, she knew her fiancée was teasing her, she didn't mind, actually she was enjoying it immensely, especially since this was going to end up being very enjoyable for both of them. The brunette just needed to keep her wits about her for the first part "You, my darling, are very beautiful" she said as she stepped forward and wrapped her towel around her.  
Gai got down out of the bath, even though Holly was still fully dressed, she wrapped the towel around them both "You are the beautiful one" she said as she slid her hand in her hair and tugged her forward so their lips met. She kissed her softly, kissing her top lip then her bottom lip. The brunette pulled back as Gail tugged the towel back around her, Holly held out her hand and and led her back into their bedroom. As they moved towards the bed, the brunette tugged her lovers hand as she turned and the blonde landed against her "Let's get you dry" she said and proceeded to towel her skin dry. Of course paying special attention to her breasts, when Holly tossed the towel onto a nearby chair, she dipped her head and took one of the naked blondes nipples into her mouth, she rolled her tongue around it and sucked on it tugging away until it popped out of her mouth.  
"Your wearing too much" Gail said shakily as she ran her hands down the brunettes back, she pulled the T-shirt up and slid it over Holly's head.  
"This first part is about you" the brunette said, as she walked her lover backwards towards their bed.  
Gail smirked "I could get use to this" she said her hands resting on Holly's hips.  
"You should" the brunette answered and pushed her back and she landed on the bed, she nudged blonde back so she was resting on her elbows, she parted Gail's thighs "shift back a little" she said and the other woman did as she was instructed. She leaned over her and kissed her passionately, their tongues tasting, battling. Holly released her mouth and kissed her way down her, breasts again taking the left one between her lips, she sucked hard on it as she used her hand to tease the other one.  
Gail writhed under her "Baby" She gasped "Please" The brunette released her nipple with a pop and slid to her knees, between the blondes legs "Holly" her fiancee called her name, she heard the uncertainty in her voice.  
Holly moved back up to come face to face with her "What's wrong, sweetheart?" She asked as she rested her weight against her, the other woman's legs instinctively wrapping around her denim clad hips, she brushed the still slightly damp locks of hair from her face.  
"I...." Gail took her hand and linked their fingers "I'm just nervous" she said.  
The brunette could feel the tension in her lovers body "You need to relax, I can just do it now and we can relax and make love, or I can distract you by making love to you and just do it" she offered her fingers brushing over the blondes cheek.  
Gail bought her hand up and brushed it over Holly's cheek "Distract me, please" she asked softly as her legs released her.  
The brunette responded with a passionate kiss, she kissed her way back down the blondes body, stopping to pay attention to the more sensitive parts. She slid back onto her knees and started kissing Gail's inner thighs "Holly" the blonde groaned, thrusting her hips up, her hands fisting in the blanket underneath her. The brunette smiled to herself and moved where her lover needed her. She kissed the folds in front of her then brushed her tongue over the sensitive bundle of nerves and Gail's hips bucked up trying to get more friction. Holly used one hand to hold her hips still as she sucked and licked her clit, she reached under to bed, grabbed the specialist syringe and held onto it. She didn't want to get too distracted herself by what was happening and forget what they were doing. She started flicking her tongue over the blondes clit, Gail moaned and writhed above her "Oh baby" she moaned from above her.  
Knowing the blonde wouldn't take long, as she kept going she quickly inserted the syringe, emptied it and dropped it on the floor, Gail didn't seem to notice. Knowing she could now get lost in her lover, Holly moved back up the blondes body and laid against her, the blonde gave her a questioning look which disappeared the moment, the brunettes fingers found her clit again and started teasing it, she rubbed it quickly "You need to cum for me sweetheart" she said. Gail replied with a guttural groan. Holly moved her fingers down to her entrance, she could feel how wet her lover was for her, she briefly teased the opening then moved her fingers back, rubbing against the hard bundle of nerves.  
"Oh fuck" the blonde gasped, her hands let go of the bed and grabbed at the brunettes back, she grabbed the straps of her bra and pulled her closer "Don't stop" she moaned.  
"I've got you" Holly whispered "let go sweetheart" she quickened the pace of her rubbing and felt Gail start to shudder.  
"Oh god Holly" the blonde called out as she shook through the climax, she held onto the brunette like she was a lifeline.  
Holly held her through it, she didn't wanna push Gail too far, that's not really what it was about, she planned on spending the afternoon making love but she wanted the blonde to rest for a bit, give her a few minutes "How are you doing?" Holly asked as she stopped her actions and rest her hand on the blondes hip and slid to the side of her.  
Gail looked at her "Did you?" She panted out.  
The brunette smiled and nodded "I didn't think you noticed" The blonde shook her head "That was the general purpose of distracting you though" Gail rolled over and wrapped herself around Holly, who put her arm around her to hold her against her.  
"Do I need to do anything special?" The officer asked softly.  
The brunette kissed her head "No, just relax"  
"How about we continue what you started here?" Gail asked her hands sliding from Holly's waist to her lace covered breast. The brunette smiled at her lover and kissed her passionately.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was Friday, almost two weeks later, both women were finishing work that day to finish final preparations for their wedding, they were taking a week off before their nuptials and another one after, they weren't going away for their honeymoon, just going to their cabin for a few days instead.  
Gail was in the locker room, she wasn't bothering to get out of her uniform as she was planning on having them all dry cleaned and pressed while she was off work. She had already signed her duty belt back in "Gail" Andy said coming into the room.  
"I'm off duty" the blonde said as she zipped up her bag, she was due to pick up Holly in half an hour.  
"Yea I know, it's your last day but I just need you for a minute" the brunette said.  
Gail sighed, in the interest of keeping thing between her and Andy happy, she put her bag down "Five minutes" she said, warning in her tone.  
Andy held up her hands "That's all I need" she backed out of the room then turned at the doorway, the blonde following her.  
They walked to the parade room, Gail could see the other officers were milling around. When they noticed her they parted "Congratulations Darlin" Oliver was standing in front of a cake and some finger foods.  
"I have..." The blonde started but stopped when she felt a familiar pair of arms circle her waist.  
"Traci picked me up" Holly said into her ear, she slid her hand down to Gail's lower abdomen, gently rubbing her fingers there, something she'd started doing in the last few days.  
The blonde linked fingers with her fiancees "You do know I'll be back in two weeks" she said to her fellow officers.  
"We know Peck, any excuse to have cake" Frank said coming in behind them. He moved past them and got himself a piece.  
"Did you know they were doing this?" Gail asked Holly.  
"No, I was just handing things over to my boss when Traci turned up" the brunette said, still holding the blonde.  
"I called before I turned up and I even had evidence to drop off" the detective said as she came over, she held out a piece of cake out to both of them. Holly gave her lover one more squeeze and released her, she took both pieces and handed one to Gail then rested her backside against the table behind her "So are you two ready?" Traci asked.  
"Pretty much, just basic stuff left, final fittings, last meeting with our celebrant, things like that" The brunette explained "we've more taken the time off to relax before the weekend" she watched the blonde move away going over and hugging Oliver.  
"Have you done a test yet?" The detective asked her quietly.  
Holly flushed red "Not yet but I'm quietly positive it took, her period was due yesterday and she's had no cramps or anything she would normally have"  
"Did you only try the once?" She asked.  
The brunette shook her head "Much to my brothers embarrassment we did it three times"  
Traci smiled "So you might know by the wedding?"  
Holly smiled "We'll do a test next week if it goes well"  
The detective put her hand on the doctors arm "Good luck" she said giving her arm a squeeze.  
Gail was making her way over as Traci left Holly, the blonde grabbed her hand as she went past "You okay for the fitting tomorrow morning?" She asked her friend.  
"I'll be there" the detective said, she squeezed her hand and went back over near Steve.  
"How you holding up?" Holly asked Gail as she stood next to her and rested her behind on the same table the brunette was leaning on.  
"I'm good, tired, glad we have next week off" the blonde said resting her head on Holly's shoulder.  
The brunette kissed her forehead "Me too" she rested her lips there for a second, making sure Gail wasn't feverish or coming down with something.  
"I'm not sick, I'm just worn out, Dov and I had to chase a guy down today on foot" she explained, knowing why Holly's lips had lingered on her forehead.  
"Just checking" the brunette said, she kissed her again and moved her lips away.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They spent a good hour at 15 talking to Gail's workmates then left for home, the house was empty as Matt was at work. The blonde kicked off her work boots in the entry, walked to the sitting room and collapsed on the couch. Holly came and stood in front of her, Gail parted her knees so the brunette could stand between them "Why don't you go and shower, while I organise something to eat" she offered.  
The blonde sat up and put her hands on her lovers hips "Sounds good" she tugged on her hips and pulled her down onto her lap.  
"You still haven't..." Holly asked.  
"No and no sign of it either, usually I'd be more bitchy than usual and getting cramps by now but nothing" Gail said as she took the brunettes hands and linked their fingers "All good signs right?"  
Holly smiled "Yep, we'll give it a few more days and then do a test" she leaned forward and kissed her then rested her head on the blondes "What would you like to eat?"  
"Pizza" Gail said quickly. The brunette sat back and quirked an eyebrow at her fast response the blonde blushed "Oliver bought one today and we got called out before I could steal a slice"  
"Pizza it is" Holly said, she gave her one last kiss, and stood, she used their joined hands to tug Gail to her feet. She kissed her nose "Go shower I'll make the call"

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was Friday morning, the day before their wedding, it was still early. Gail was fast asleep, Holly was laying next to her watching her as she slept. It was mornings like this she would think about how lucky she was to have the beautiful woman next to her and how close they had been to screwing it all up. Now they were about to get married, they were doing a test that morning to confirm if the blonde is pregnant. She smiled to herself, she was pretty sure she was, she was tired and there had been no sign of her period, she was still amazed they may have managed it in the first month they tried.  
Gail suddenly yawned and opened her eyes "What are you grinning about?" She said as she rolled towards Holly and wrapped her arm around her.  
"Just thinking about how lucky I am to be marrying you" the brunette said as she ran her fingers through the blondes short locks "I'm gonna miss you tonight"  
Gail groaned and put her head into Holly chest "I don't know why you agreed to this, I don't want to sleep without you"  
"It's traditional and since we're hardly your traditional couple I figured I could at least do this, plus it won't hurt to spend the night apart, I'll be in the room next door so if you have a bad night you can just call me" she said as she wrapped her arms around the other woman who mumbled into her chest "What was that?' She asked.  
"I need to pee" Gail said and looked up at her. Holly rolled away from her and grabbed the box with the test in it and handed it to her. The blonde took it, gave her a kiss and disappeared. The brunette laid on the bed waiting for her to return. After a minute or to she heard the toilet flush and the water run then Gail reappeared, she climbed back into their warm bed and snuggled in her head on her lovers chest again "Five minutes" she said.  
Holly grabbed her phone and set a timer "You okay?" She asked.  
"Nervous" the blonde answered "I really want it to be positive but in saying that, I'm a little scared that it is"  
The brunette was fairly certain she knows what the issue is but asks anyway "What are you scared of?" Gail shrugged, Holly grabbed her short hair and tugged her head back so she could see her face "Sweetheart?" was all she said.  
"It's a big responsibility to look after the little bug for almost a year on my own, it's not like I can go 'here take this' and have a break. Plus this baby means everything to us and your trusting a screw up like me with it?"  
The brunette let go of her hair and ran her fingers throughout it "Your silly, this is your baby too remember" the blonde looked away from her eyes "Look at me" She said and waited until the police officers eyes met hers "I love you with everything in me and I trust you with my life, why wouldn't I trust you with the life of our baby"  
Gail didn't answer, she just kissed her, as she did the alarm on Holly's phone went off "Moment of truth" she said after pulling back.  
"You want me to go?" the brunette offered, running her fingers through the blondes messy cropped hair. Gail nodded and Holly got up and headed to their bathroom, the other woman got up too, wanting to know the result. When the doctor picked up the test she grinned at her soon to be wife "You're pregnant"  
Gail grinned and threw herself into Holly's arms, wrapping her legs around her. She managed to keep them both standing and rested the blondes behind on the sink "I can't believe it" Gail said and kissed the brunette "We're gonna have a baby"  
"We're gonna have a baby" Holly repeated.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Given that Gail was only just pregnant they'd decided not to tell anyone yet, aside from Matt, who was still living with them until the new place he was going to lease was available in six weeks. They both agreed since he had helped them conceive he deserved to know. The blonde had gone for a shower, leaving Holly to find and tell her brother. "Just the man I was looking for" she said as she walked into the kitchen, finding him cooking breakfast.  
"I heard you two moving around and thought you might want breakfast before we head up" he said.  
"You alone this morning?" The brunette asked as she poured coffee for herself and Gail.  
"Chris was on shift last night, he's gonna drive up after he has a sleep" he explained.  
"I only ask because I have some news but I really need you to keep it to yourself" a Holly said smiling.  
Matt eyed her for a second and his eyes widened "It took? She's pregnant?" He asked, the hope evident in his tone.  
She nodded at him "We're gonna have a baby" she said excitedly.  
He put down what he was doing, lifted her off the ground and proceeded to spin her around "Wow I can believe it, first go" he said and put her on her feet.  
"I can't either, I honestly thought it would take a few months" the brunette said leaning on the bench "I can't say I'm gonna miss the awkward sperm moment between us"  
"Me either" he said flushing red "So how long do I have to hang on the news of my pending niece or nephew?" He asked  
"I called Rachel she said she can facilitate a rush job on the blood test and get the results today to confirm, so we don't have to wait until we get back, we'll just head over after breakfast" Holly explained picking up her coffee "I'll talk to Gail but I think at least until we get back from the cabin"  
"Yea no announcing it at the wedding" Gail said as she walked in the kitchen.  
"So how's the mom to be?" Matt asked.  
"Happy, nervous, excited, overwhelmed" the blonde said, she slipped in next to the brunette and picked up her coffee "Take your pick" she said and sipped at the mug "Then add on the wedding and the fact I have to spend tonight without Holly"  
"I'll make sure she's there on time" Matt reassured her.  
"I don't doubt it" Gail said.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Rachel redid Gail's urine test, which was again positive and took the blood for the other test. She'd also given them the name of a good practicing obstetrician she knew. They'd left with the other doctor assuring them she would call through with the results as soon as she got them and also told them that it was pretty much just a formality at this point, that the blonde was indeed pregnant. Rachel would also be heading up to the wedding venue that afternoon with her own wife as soon as she was done with work.  
Holly and Gail went home, picked up their luggage, dresses and everything else they would need and headed up to the venue.  
As they got closer the snow was getting heavier "Think my mom will be disappointed that it's not a flowery spring wedding?" The blonde asked, she was watching out the window as the brunette drove, her hand resting on her leg.  
"Are you happy with our wedding?" Holly resting her hand on the other woman's..  
Gail smiled at her "of course"  
"Well then, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks" the brunette picked up her hand and kissed it.  
The blonde smiled at her, before she could speak, Holly's cellphone rang, the brunette let her hand go and pushed the button on the stereo to answer it "Dr Stewart" she said.  
"Hey Hol" they heard Rachel's voice say.  
Holly grabbed Gail's hand again "Hey Rach, you've got some news for us?" She asked.  
"Yes I do" the other doctor said.  
"Well?" The blonde said not really having any patience.  
"You are definitely pregnant" Rachel said confirming it.  
"Thanks Rach" the brunette answered "I'll see you in a few hours" the said their goodbyes and Holly ended the call, she looked at Gail, she put on her indicator and pulled the car off the road. "Are you okay?" She asked the now crying blonde.  
Gail nodded swiping at the tears "I'm great" she sobbed.  
"Oh sweetheart" the brunette undid her seat belt and got out, as she walked around the SUV the blonde did the same. As Holly reached her she tugged her into her arms and held her. They stood on the side of the road cuddling "Are you sure your okay, that your happy about this?" She asked slightly unsure, due to her reaction.  
Gail lifted her head from her lovers shoulder "I'm ecstatic about this, I'm just overwhelmed" she bought her hands to Holly's face "I can't wait to have this baby with you" she kissed her softly.  
The brunette depended the kiss and they both go lost in each other for a minute until they heard a car horn. Realising where they were Holly pulled back and rested her head on Gail's "You ready to go?" she asked.  
The blond nodded and gave her another kiss.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They arrived not long after, they checked into the four rooms they and their wedding party would be using for the night and pre booked into the Honeymoon cabin they had for the night after the wedding before they headed over to their own cabin for a few days. Holly had also taken the time to get Gail booked in with the obstetrician Rachel suggested on Friday afternoon once they were back and before they both went back to work.  
They had curled up on one of the beds and started watching a movie, within a minute or two the blonde was asleep against the doctors chest. They stayed that way until they heard a soft knock on the door, Holly managed to slip out from under Gail and grabbed the key cards to the other rooms, she opened the door to be faced with her brother, she put her finger to her lips, indicating him to be quiet and closed the door behind her "How did it go?" He asked.  
"She's definitely pregnant" Holly said with a smile.  
"Congratulations sis" he said tugging her into his arms.  
"So is this a private family moment or can anyone join in?" Traci said with Steve standing behind her.  
The siblings parted "Private family moment" Matt said.  
"That's not gonna get you out of it" Steve said "As of tomorrow you and I are family, so share the love" he said opening his arms and moving towards the other man.  
Matt backed up "Leave him alone Steve" Gail said opening the door, his hug was redirected to his sister, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him.  
"I've got something to tell you" she whispered.  
"I think I already know" he kissed her cheek "You're gonna be a great mom" he said.  
The blonde slid to the floor "Lunch?" She suggested.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, Rachel turned up, her wife, also a doctor, had been called in for an emergency so she wouldn't be up until the following morning. Holly greeted her with a hug "Thank you for today" she said as she pulled back.  
She looked over the bar at the shorthaired blonde who was laughing with Matt, Traci and Steve "Everything okay?" She asked.  
"She cried when you confirmed it but yea we couldn't be happier" Holly said with a smile.  
"Do they know?" The other woman gestured to the four, sitting at a nearby table.  
"Yea, Gail told them but we're not telling anyone else until we get back from the cabin" the brunette explained.  
"Hey Rachel, stop monopolising my almost wife, I only have her for a few more hours until you two take her away" the blonde woman said from the nearby table.  
The doctor shook her head "You can't handle not having her for one night?" She said as they moved to the table.  
Gail reached out and took Holly's hand as she sat next to get "Nope" she said and leaned over to kiss her.  
"Enough of that" Matt said, banging his hand on the table "More drinks"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, Gail and Matt were walking Holly to the room the siblings were sharing "I love you" the doctor said drunkenly to the blonde.  
"I know baby, I love you too" Gail said doing her best to keep her fiancee upright. Holly, and Steve had a competition to see who could bounce coins into a glass, if you got the coin in you drank. The other Peck hadn't bet on the doctors skill and Holly had ended up drinking almost twice as much. It was only just past Nine in the evening but the brunette was already done for the night.  
"I love our baby too" she said as she rested her head on the blondes shoulder.  
"I do too" Gail said as she and Matt manoeuvred her into the hallway near the door to the room they were staying in.  
"I'll get you in and leave you to it" he said as he opened the door.  
"I can take it from here" the blonde said as she held her up.  
"You sure?" He asked.  
"Go see Chris, say goodnight, I'll text you when I leave" she said.  
"Your the best" he said, he kissed her cheek "I'll see you tomorrow, speed bump" he said and took off.  
"What did he call you?" Holly asked lifting her head.  
"Don't worry sweetheart, let's get you to bed" Gail said as they made their way into the room.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Twenty minutes later, Gail had Holly in bed and was laying with her. The brunettes eyes were closed and she was running her fingers through her hair.  
"Gail?"  
"Mmmmm" the blonde murmured in reply, she was just enjoying these last moments before she left, the next time she saw her it would be at the altar.  
Holly opened her eyes and looked at her "I love you both you know that don't you, I don't ever want to lose either of you" she said.  
Gail could see the tears gathering in her eyes "Hey, what's bought this on?" She said gathering her fiancee against her.  
"I just..." She paused trying to gather her drunk thoughts "I just want you to know how much I need you"  
The brunette wasn't making sense, the blonde smiled slightly "I do know" she said brushing her hair from her face "Because I feel exactly the same about you"  
"So you'll be there?" Holly said "You'll marry me tomorrow?" She said sounding uncertain.  
"Of course I will" she looked into the brunettes eyes "Hol, what's bought this on?"  
"I'm just being silly" she said not meeting her eyes.  
"Are you worried I'm gonna freak out and run?" Gail asked tugging her chin up. Holly looked at her, the blonde could see the fear in her eyes, she leaned in and kissed her softly. She rested her head on her fiancees "Listen to me very carefully okay?" She said, she waited for Holly to nod "I am going to marry you tomorrow, no matter what happens, nothing will stop me from standing up with you and becoming your wife" She took the brunettes hand and rested in on her lower abdomen "We're family, the two of you are my everything" she took her hand from Holly's and put it on her face "You, Holly, are my life" she said and kissed her.

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Holly was asleep, Gail quietly let herself out "She okay?" Steve asked.  
The blonde jumped and put her hand on her chest "You scared me" she said "She's just a bit nervous I think"  
"How are you feeling?" He asked as they walked a few doors down, Gail pulled out a card and opened the door "Strangely enough, I'm completely calm, I thought I'd be the one freaking out considering last time I did this I got dumped" she moved over to the mini fridge and pulled out two bottles of water as her brother closed the door.  
She sat on a nearby couch and held a bottle out to him "I think you know she's the one" he said as he took it.  
The blonde took a drink of her water "I do, she's..."  
"Your whole world?" He offered.  
Gail nodded "She really is"

0-0-0-0-0-0

The next morning the little hotel complex was a flurry of activity. It had snowed again that night and some of the guests including both brides parents were having trouble getting through due to the snow, both women had explained to them multiple times, they would have been better coming up a day early but they hadn't listened. As the time got closer, Holly got more stressed "They'll be here" Matt said as he pulled on his suit jacket "Mom would drive a snow plow up here herself before she'd miss this"  
"I knew something would happen" the doctor said.  
"Holly...." he started but was interrupted by Rachel returning from her latest run to Gail's room to get a progress report.  
"Steve's called in some favours, the road is being plowed as we speak" the other doctor said "It shouldn't be more than an hour"  
Holly looked at the clock "but we're due to start in fifteen minutes" she said and started to panic "I can't...." She panted, she said shaking her hands, in an attempt to shake away the feeling of terror. She started to feel like the dress she had on was too tight "Get this thing off, I can't...." She took in a shallow shaking breath "I can't breathe" she gasped as she started tugging at the dress.  
"Get Gail" Matt said and grabbed his sisters hands before she did any damage "Holly look at me" he said. He'd handled a few of Gail's panic attacks so he had an idea of what to do "Sit down its okay, just breathe with me" he said sitting her down. She was breathing hard.  
"Baby?" Gail asked from the doorway.  
"Gail?" the brunette gasped and looked up.  
The blonde didn't care about the dress she had on, she dropped to her knees in front of her very soon to be wife "it's okay sweetheart, we've got it organised okay" she explained, her hand resting on her cheek "Steve's been on he phone half the morning to Sam and Andy, they are on the other side of the snow drift, they're organising to get the road cleared" She knew only explaining what was happening would calm her stressed lover "Everyone who got stuck have been put on two buses, they'll be here in just under an hour. The celebrant is happy to wait as she's not due to do any other weddings until tomorrow, so it's okay, it's all sorted" she said watching as Holly started to calm the blonde turned to Rachel "Can you go get the celebrant, Steve and Traci?"  
She nodded and left "What are you doing?" Matt asked.  
"You'll see" Gail said, as she bought her other hand to her very soon to be wife's face "You wanna do this baby right now?" She asked Holly.  
The brunette, who's breathing was much calmer, spoke softly "Yes"  
"Is everything okay?" Steve asked from the doorway.  
"Close the door" the three people came in and did as she asked, the blonde turned slightly to face them "We need you to marry us now, Holly's panicking because she's worried it won't happen so we need to do this now and take the pressure off" the blonde explained.  
"Gail" Holly said grabbing her hand "I can wait"  
Gail turned back and took both of the brunettes hands "This is hopefully the last time I need to ask you this, I love you Holly Rose Stewart, will you marry me right now?' She said.  
Holly smiled through tears "Of course I will" she tugged the blonde against her and kissed her.  
After a few seconds Gail pulled back "Let's do this" she said, she got to her feet and tugged Holly up.  
Everyone moved around into position, Gail and Holly stood facing each other holding both of each other's hands "When your ready, nothing too long we just need to say the words" The blonde said and the celebrant nodded.  
"We're here today to join Holly Stewart and Gail Peck in marriage" she started "I will cut this short and get down to the vows" she said "Now as you've both written your vows for later, I'll handle these ones" she said with a smile "Holly do you take Gail to be your wife, to be with her, cherish her, to help her through the good and bad times, to love her for all the days of your life?"  
Holly beamed at Gail and squeezed her hands "I do"  
"Gail..."  
She didn't get to ask before the blonde answered "I do, of course I do"  
The group present chuckled "The rings?"  
"They're on the pillow in my room ready for Sophie" Gail said, disappointedly until Holly slipped her engagement ring off then her own and handed them to the celebrant.  
"These rings are to symbolise the never ending love you share" she handed Holly Gail's ring, who placed it on her ring finger, then the blonde did the same.  
"With the words you've agreed to and the rings you have exchanged, I now pronounce you both married, you may kiss your bride" she said.  
Gail tugged Holly into her arms and kissed her passionately.

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Within an hour, the couples parents arrived, Wendy was surprised to find Gail sitting with Holly in the brunettes room "Should you be In here?" She asked.  
The blonde went to snap at her until she felt Holly's hand on her leg "I'll see you there" she said, she moved her hand to her cheek and gave her a soft kiss.  
"I love you" Gail said softly and slipped from the room, closing it behind her.  
"She was stopping me from freaking out because everything got messed up" the brunette said to her mother, her tone a little harsh.  
"I'm sorry" The older woman said with a blush "We should have listen to you then we would have already been here""

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Down the hall, Gail let herself in the room to be confronted with her parents "Why were you in Holly's room?" He mother asked with her arms crossed, acting as if the blonde was a teenager "You shouldn't be seeing her until your getting married"  
Gail looked to her brother, who shrugged "Where's Matt?" She asked him.  
"He and Holly's father went to tell the celebrant we were ready to go, then they were heading to get Rachel and go to Hol"  
"Good" the blonde said "Traci I need your help" she said gesturing to the bathroom, the detective got up to follow.  
"Excuse me" Elaine said "Why were you in...."  
"Mom, please, everything has gotten messed up already, let's just not okay, I wanna to go and marry the woman I love" she said and walked away.  
Realising her slip, before her daughter disappeared, the older woman spoke "I'm sorry, I'm sorry we should have come up yesterday"

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Thanks for taking the time to read. I know I said this one would have the wedding, it did sort of. Next chapter will have the wedding and the wedding night. Thank you sooo much for reading and hopefully it won't take so long to do the next update.

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	22. Chapter Twenty Two

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I'm sorry this has taken so long, life just hasn't been on my side lately, I've been put on the waiting list for spinal surgery hopefully in sometime in April, the doctor said 3 months and my paperwork was submitted at the end of January. I'm stuck in bed at the moment due to a fall. I'm leaving in about 30 mins to have a steroid injection in my spine, which is fun. And my girlfriend broke up with me. I love my life sometimes lol anyway enough about real life. What follows is the wedding, I have most of the next chapter ready so hopefully it'll be up soon. Just a reminder I am not leaving this fandom, I'm currently working on a The 100 fic and a Pitch Perfect one as well but Holly and Gail ones are my priority and I'll keep writing them going forward. Enjoy the update.

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

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Chapter Twenty Two

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Inside the reception hall, with a piece of classic music playing softly in the background, Gail stood at the end of the makeshift aisle, her father had already walked her down after Steve had led Traci. She was holding a simple bouquet of flowers. With the extra layer of snow they had moved the ceremony into the large cabin used for conferences, it ensured that no one slipped over as the almost foot of snow was causing everything to ice up.The blonde managed to relax a little once she saw, Leo, his arm linked with Sophie's as the little girl carried their wedding rings on a small pillow. She smiled as they arrived with her, Sophie cuddled her, she leaned forward and cuddled her back, she shed a tear as the girl turned and waved to her aunt, the woman who in two weeks would become her full time carer. As soon as she saw Rachel accompanied by Matt, she stood back up because she knew Holly would be right behind them. When she caught sight of the brunette, even though she had seen her already, she took her breath away, her mouth dropped open. Matt smiled at her as they reached her. He kissed her cheek "You'd better close your mouth speed bump, won't look good in the photos" he whispered in her ear and stood on the opposite side to Traci and Steve.   
Holly reached the end of the rows of seats. When she saw Gail standing with the celebrant and their friends and siblings all the nerves left the brunette and she smiled at her bride. Who was standing there with her mouth hanging open. She watched her brother kiss the blondes cheek and whisper in her ear, this made her flush red and close her mouth. Then she returned the smile. The soft music continued to play as she walked towards Gail and the rest of her life. She held onto her fathers arm as she walked as she held the blondes gaze. When they stopped in front of her, her father kissed her cheek and sat down next to her mother as she took her place at Gail's side. Their hands instinctually finding each other.   
The music was stopped and the celebrant spoke "We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, the joining of two hearts and to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to Gail and Holly as they begin the next part of their journey through life together" She paused for a beat "Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, I would keep it to yourself, after knowing Gail and Holly as briefly as I have I know there is no reason under the sun why these two should not be married" she turned towards Gail "Who here gives Gail to be married today?" She asked.   
Bill Peck stood from his seat "I do" he said "Happily" he added before sitting.  
"Who here gives Holly to be married today?"  
"I do" Matt said from beside Holly "With mine and our parents blessing" he said.  
"Today we have come together to witness the joining of these two lives. For them, out of the routine of ordinary life, the extraordinary has happened. They met each other, fell in love and are continuing their love story with their wedding. A good marriage must be created. It is never being too old to hold hands. It’s remembering to say I love you every day and it is not just marrying the right person its being the right partner. Both Gail and Holly have chosen to write their own vows"  
Both women hand off their bouquets to their friends and stood facing each other, Gail took both of Holly's in her own "I'll never forget the day we met" the blonde started, her voice a little shaky, the brunette gave her hands to the blonde gave them a squeeze to encourage her "I was my normal bitchy sarcastic self but you weren't fazed, we became fast friends and not long after we became so much more. I ran away because I was scared but eventually thanks to a little intervention from a very dear friend of mine we found our way back to each other. I've never claimed to be the easiest person to live with or even be around. You make me want to be a better person and I love you more than I could ever express, so I'll make you this promise, I'll spend the rest of my life, loving you, trying to be the person you deserve, trying to be open to you and our family and I'll always be sure I make my way home to you every night"   
Holly mouthed 'I love you' to Gail then cleared her throat "They say when you stop looking for love you find it, I certainly did. The moment you called me lunchbox, you turned my whole world on its ear and you've managed to keep me on my toes ever since" she linked their fingers "The day I almost lost in that accident, you turned it into one of the best days of my life, I felt extremes of both sorrow and joy that day and I realised this roller coaster with you is one I want to ride for the rest of my life. My promise to you, is to always love you, be patient and understanding, always be there when you fall and help you back up. You are my family" when the brunette finished, they both had tears running down their cheeks but beautiful smiles and eyes only for each other.  
The celebrant continued "Gail Elaine Peck do you take Holly Rose Stewart to be your wife, do you promise to love, honour, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?"  
"Of course I do" Gail answered, smiling brightly, even as the tears were now flowing freely.   
"Holly Rose Stewart, do you take Gail Elaine Peck to be your wife, do you promise to love, honour, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?" The Celebrant asked Holly.  
The brunette, smiled through her tears "I do"  
"Who holds the rings?" The celebrant asked and Sophie stepped forward, holding the pillow with the rings on it like it was the most precious thing in the world.   
Holly squatted down and helped her untie them "Thank you munchkin" she said and kissed her on the head. Gail reached over and tousled her hair, glad they had included the girl in their day.  
"The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love" the celebrant continued, once Gail handed her the rings "Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver, May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken. Gail, as you place the ring on Holly's finger, please repeat after me, This ring is my sacred gift, with my promise that I will always love you, cherish you and honour you all the days of my life. And with this ring, I thee wed."  
The blonde took the ring when she handed it to her "This ring is my sacred gift, with my promise that I will always love you, cherish you and honour you all the days of my life. And with this ring, I thee wed." She slipped the ring on the brunettes finger as she spoke.  
The celebrant turned to the Doctor "Holly, as you place the ring on Gail's finger, please repeat after me, This ring is my sacred gift, with my promise that I will always love you, cherish you and honour you all the days of my life. And with this ring, I thee wed."  
"This ring is my sacred gift, with my promise that I will always love you, cherish you and honour you all the days of my life. And with this ring, I thee wed." Holly said as she smiled lovingly at Gail as she placed the ring on her finger. As they went back to holding hands, the celebrant spoke "Throughout this ceremony, Gail and Holly have vowed, in our presence, to be loyal and loving towards each other. They have formalised the existence of the bond between them with words spoken and with the giving and receiving of rings. Therefore, it is my pleasure to now pronounce them married. You may now kiss your bride"  
Gail smiled broadly at Holly, she let go of her hands and wrapped her her arms around her waist "I love you so much" the blonde said and pulled her into a toe curling, passionate kiss, not really caring that there were about 50 people currently watching them.

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A while later, once they'd braved the snow to have photos taken, they stood together just outside the reception hall where everyone else was, waiting to be introduced. Both were relaxed, they were married and didn't really care what happened now "We could just head off to our room" Holly suggested as she ran her hands up and down the blondes silky dress "I would love to see exactly what's underneath that dress" as her hands went down, she gave her ass a squeeze.  
Gail smiled "Well..." She looked down at her own chest "There is no way I would stay in this dress without a little support" she smirked at her now wife "Underneath well, you'll just have to check for your self"  
"Let's make a break for it" Knowing what the blonde was suggesting, the brunette definitely could skip the formalities for the evening.  
Just as the blonde opened her mouth to speak, the door next to them opened and Steve was standing on the other side "You guys ready?" He asked.  
Holly sighed "As we'll ever be" she said as she released the other woman slightly disappointed she didn't get a sneak preview under her wife's dress.  
Knowing what the brunette was thinking, Gail slid her hand into hers and leaned to whisper in her ear "I'm wearing stockings, a garter belt and a garter for you to slip off later same as you" Holly frowned at her, the blonde smiled at her, she always loved it when the brunette logical brain stalled with lust "I'm not wearing any underwear" she said. Holly flushed red.  
"Come on" Steve said "Every one is waiting"  
"Gail!!" Holly scolded quietly as she was tugged into the reception.  
"I would like to present Dr and Mrs Stewart" Matt said into the microphone as the couple came into the room, applause erupted, drowning out any protest Elaine had in regards to how the man had introduced the couple.

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After they'd been introduced they mingled, champagne was offered but denied by them both. Gail looked at her now wife "You can you know, I don't mind" she said as she slid her hand into Holly's.  
The brunette lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of the blondes "As much as I'd love to go sit in the closet with you, with a bottle of champagne, like we did at the last wedding we attended" she tugged Gail against her with their joined hands "Your not drinking, so for at least tonight, neither am I"  
The blonde wrapped her arms around the brunettes waist "Thank you" she said resting their heads together both closing their eyes.  
A flash of light interrupted their moment "Sorry" Matt said apologetically "You two just looked so beautiful I needed to capture the moment"  
Holly smiled at him "To make up for it can you get us both some non alcoholic apple cider and get a bottle put on our table too"  
He nodded knowing why "Do you want me to get them to wrap the bottle so no one asks questions?" He offered  
"Please" Gail said, still cuddling with Holly. They didn't have anymore time alone, as soon as Matt left them they we inundated by well wishers. 

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A little while later, dinner was served, after everyone had eaten, Matt turned to his sister who was currently engaged in conversation with her wife and Traci "Hol, do you want to cut the cake and do the speeches? Get the formalities out of the way"  
The brunette looked at Gail, who shrugged "I guess" she said.  
They organised the simple cake into the room and they had multiple photos taken while cutting it. Holly stood watching her wife, knowing Gail's playful side she started wondering if this whole feeding each other cake thing was wise "Don't look so scared" the blonde said as she picked up a piece of cake "I promised to behave" she added her smile saying otherwise.  
"Yea but our definitions of behaving differ greatly" the brunette said, eyebrow raised.  
"Trust me" Gail said moving towards her.  
Holly took a step back, only to run into Steve's chest "You are a cheat" she said to her approaching wife while she leant against her brother in law.  
"I love you" the blonde whispered as she offered the brunette the piece of cake.   
Before Holly knew what happened, Steve's hand came around her and pushed Gail's hand up, effectively smashing the cake into the blondes face. Both brides stood there shocked, the blonde moved to grab her brother but her wife stepped in front of her, she took Gail's face in her hands and licked the cake off her cheek. The laughter tittered through the guests, Traci got both Dov and Chris to get Steve. Holly tugged her wife into her arms and licked more cake off her face "I love you" she said softly as she got some icing on her finger off the fuming blondes nose and held out for her to taste.  
Gail sucked it off her finger and smiled at her, before the brunette knew what happened, the blonde kissed her passionately, rubbing cake over both their faces. Neither of them heard the laughs and applause coming from their guests.

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"First time I met Gail she was sick, so much so she could have played a character in night of the living dead" Matt said he was standing, giving his speech. Both lots of parents had already spoken "but even then she was still full of sass. She doesn't think she's good enough for my sister, she's wrong" he looked over at the blonde that was now his sister in law "I've never ever seen my sister smile like she smiles at you, it's like her face lights up. As far as I'm concerned you are the only one for my sister" he looked back out at everyone else "I've lived with both of them since returning to Toronto and I've honestly never met a couple more dedicated to each other, they spend every spare moment they have together to the point it is enough to make you sick" he smiled at his sister "I always told myself if Hol ever got married I would embarrass her with old stories but I don't want to now, the only thing I wanna say is sis, you found a good one in Gail and blondie, you look after my sister or else"  
"You and who's army?" The blonde asked, her head resting on Holly's shoulder.  
"Me" Oliver called out. Most of the people from 15 chuckled.  
"To Gail and Holly" Matt said  
Everyone toasted the couple and Steve lifted Leo off his lap and put him on the chair "No" Gail said lifting up her head as he headed to the microphone.   
Holly gripped her hand and pulled her back to her "He promised me he wouldn't embarrass you, I told him I would tell all of 15 about him puking over a recent homicide case if he did" The blonde frowned at her "The floater that was a gang case, the stomach on the body ruptured at the scene"  
"Ahh" Gail said, Holly had told her about it but left out her brother losing his lunch over it.  
"So" Steve said as he took the microphone from Matt "My sister is a great person, not everyone sees it cos she hides it very well most of the time. Holly seems to be the only other person in this world who really sees Gail for who she really is. When she was abducted, I wasn't here but you all were, you found her and bought her back for us. For that, I will be forever grateful" his voice became shaky "She's managed to come back from that and build a life for herself with Holly" he looked to the couple "Dr Stewart has been the best thing that ever happened to my sister, she brings out the best in her, she has opened up the beautiful flower that is my sister and...." His voice cracked obviously overwhelmed.  
Before any more could be said Oliver came up behind Steve and took the microphone "Okay, I think Detective Peck here has had enough to drink" he said jokingly. Traci was behind Steve tugging his arm and they walked back to their seats "All kidding aside, I think we all know what he means, Even though she has a rough shell, with Holly, Gail is at her absolute best" he lifted his glass "Two of the best people I know, Gail and Holly"

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"Are you sure your okay?" Gail asked her brother as they were standing at the bar. They had done the rest of the traditional things. Two bouquet tosses, two garter tosses. Andy caught Holly's bouquet and Traci had caught Gail's.   
Steve who had caught Holly's garter had it around his wrist "I'm fine, it's just..."  
"I know" she said putting her arm around his waist. He pulled her in and kissed her head.  
"Gail" Holly said coming up behind them "I'm sorry I need to steal my wife for a few minutes" she said as she took the blondes hand in her own, Gail frowned at her "First Dance" she explained.  
Gail allowed herself to be lead to the dance floor "Really?" She asked. Dragging her bare feet, her heels had come off when they were eating dinner and she honestly had no idea where they were.  
When they stopped in the middle of the floor Holly looked down at Gail and smiled at the currently shorter woman, she lifted her dress and kicked off the heels putting them at the same height again. Matt grabbed them and put them aside. Chris came up behind him, with every ones attention on the newly married couple the chef took a step back so he was next to the officer and took his hand linking their fingers, they smiled at each other. Gail looked to Matt and nodded, he hit the button on the blondes phone in his pocket, the fist few notes of 'Amazed' by Lonestar filled the room.  
"This isn't.." Holly started to say Gail stopped her with a soft kiss as they wrapped their arms around each other.

"Every time our eyes meet  
This feeling inside me  
Is almost more than I can take  
Baby when you touch me  
I can feel how much you love me  
And it just blows me away"

The couple danced together, doing the occasional spin and dance move.

"I've never been this close to anyone or anything  
I can hear your thoughts  
I can see your dreams"

Gail slowed the dancing, rested her hands on her wife's cheeks and softly sang the lyrics of the chorus to Holly.

"I don't know how you do what you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Baby I'm amazed by you"

The brunette smiled tears running down her cheeks "I love you too" she whispered and captured the blondes lips with her own in a very passionate kiss. They rocked to the music as they kissed.

"The smell of your skin  
The taste of your kiss  
The way you whisper in the dark  
Your hair all around me  
Baby you surround me  
You touch every place in my heart  
Oh it feels like the first time every time  
I wanna spend the whole night in your arms"

Matt figured this was a good time to get more people dancing and the focus off what was turning into a slightly dancing, heavy make out session instead of a first dance. He squeezed Chris's hand the released it then went and pulled Steve, Traci, Rachel, her wife, and both his and Gail's parents to the floor. 

"I don't know how you do what you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Baby I'm amazed by you"

Holly and Gail were still very much lost in each other, most of the wedding party was dancing and Matt was standing to the side when Chris came up behind him again "Will you dance with me?" The taller man asked.  
Matt look at him "Are you sure?" He asked "We don't.." He started but was interrupted.   
The officer took his hand "I need to stop worrying about what they're gonna think and just worry about us" he said as they walked to the dance floor. He tugged the younger Stewart against his chest.

"Every little thing that you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Oh, yeah every little thing that you do  
Baby I'm amazed by you"

Gail pulled out of the kiss as the first notes of the next song started, she smiled at Holly then looked around at the other couples. She tapped Holly's shoulder, pointing to the edge of the dance floor "Look" she said "They look so cute" she added as she watched he brother in law dance with her friend. She noticed Dov watching them, he looked upset.  
"It's brave" Holly remarked, bring the other woman back to the conversation "Takes a lot the first time" she said.  
"Or a life threatening situation" Gail commented and nudged her wife.  
The brunette looked at the blonde, seeing the first moment all night that everyone was distracted she smiled "Come on" she said slipping her hand in the officers.  
Gail looked at Holly and smirked as they walked from the room.

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When the brunette had the other woman alone in the ladies bathroom, she locked the main door into the room and pushed the blonde against the sinks "So what do you have on under that dress Mrs Stewart?" Holly asked she ran her finger along Gail's cleavage.  
The blonde shuddered "Why don't you feel your way to finding out?" She countered.  
The brunette leaned in and captured her lips, as her hands gathered up the back of the dress, once it was up over her behind, Holly slid her hands down her lovers bare behind to the back of her legs and lifted her onto the counter behind her, the other woman leaned back on her hands. Without waisting anytime as someone was likely to notice their disappearance soon, the brunettes hands moved around Gail's milky thighs to her bare and very wet folds "I knew you weren't wearing anything when I did the garter toss. God your so wet already" she whispered after breaking the kiss.  
"I've been like this since I saw you walking towards me at the ceremony" the blonde all but groaned out "I need you now" she whispered, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around her wife's neck.  
"You want me to fuck you?" She asked rubbing her fingers over Gail's clit.  
"Please" the blonde whimpered.  
"Anything for you" Holly said and kissed her cheeks  
"Oh fuck" Gail groaned loudly as her lover pushed two fingers inside her.  
"Shhhh" Holly whispered "You need to be quiet"  
The blonde buried her head in the brunettes neck and held her close as her wife thrust her fingers deep inside her "I need more"  
Holly slid another finger inside her, Gail gripped onto her tighter "You getting close?" She asked softly as she drove three fingers in and out of her lover.  
The blonde nodded into her shoulder as she tried to hold back the noises "Almost there" she grunted. There was a knock on the door "Please don't stop" Gail muttered.  
"I won't" Holly assured her as she moved her thumb up to circle the blondes clit.  
They heard another knock then Traci noisily telling the person to try the toilets on the other end of the room.   
Figuring they were out of time, The brunette, thrust into her wife and curled her fingers, knowing this would drive her over the edge "I'm..." The blonde didn't get to speak before the climax ripped through her body. She shook and shuddered as she gripped onto Holly. The brunette slowing her actions as she helped Gail ride through it. When the blonde collapsed against her, she slid her hand free and kissed the side of Gail's head. The officer, laid against her panting for about a minute before moving, she shifted off the bench and onto her feet, her arms still around Holly's neck, she gave her a kiss "Do you have any idea how much I adore you?" She said and gave her another kiss.  
"I have an idea" Holly said with a smile as she washed her hands behind Gail's back, she kissed the blonde as she shook her hands off "We should get back out there"  
"What about you?" The blonde said not letting her go.  
"We have all week remember?" The brunette said, she gave her one last kiss and then slipped from her arms and took her hand.

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"I don't know what the hell he's thinking" Gail overheard Dov's voice from near the bar, as they walked back from the bathroom.  
She pulled away from Holly, who looked at her "I'll be back" she said. The brunette pulled her in for a kiss then let her go. The blonde headed over and took her ex roommate by the arm "Outside" she said and pushed him towards the exit.  
"Gail" Chloe called behind them, as it was her he had been talking to.  
"What the hell is your problem?" Dov said angrily as they walked out into the snow.  
"What the hell is your problem?" Gail asked in return "Do you have any idea and concept of what it took for him to even go near Matt in public, let alone in front of half of 15?" She said furiously "For fucks sake Dov, not everything is about how everyone's actions make Dov Epstien feel" the blonde opened her mouth to continue, then closed it "You know what, screw you, this is my wedding, if your not happy that he is finally happy it's your problem not his" she shoved him "Until you can be happy for him, stay the fuck away from him and me" she shoved him again and stormed off.  
"Gail" Chloe tried as she caught up with them.  
"Fuck off Chloe" Gail said as she went inside. The blonde walked inside and straight to Holly, she grabbed her hand and squeezed it.  
The brunette could feel the fury coming off her wife "Should I be worried?" She asked.  
"No, I've handled it for now" Gail said, starting to relax a little.  
"We'll talk about it later, yea?" She asked.  
"Definitely" the blonde promised.

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It didn't take long for the wedding to wind down, when a few people started to bid farewell and Gail was falling asleep on her shoulder, Holly figured it was time to head to their honeymoon cabin "Hey" she said softly and kissed the snoozing blondes head "Time for bed?" She offered.  
"Mmmm" Gail murmured, not moving.  
"You want a hand?" Steve offered, he was sitting nearby with Leo asleep laying against him.  
"You look like you've got your hands full already" she said smiling.  
"He's a lot lighter than her" he added.  
"I heard that" The blonde said, her head still on Holly.  
"Come on, let's get going" the brunette said.  
The couple said quick good byes to the remaining guests and headed out into the night.  
When they got to the room, Gail walked in and collapsed on the bed. Holly went to the bathroom, by the time she got back the blonde was laying on her back and snoring softly. The brunette smiled from the doorway. She walked over and sat on the bed "Sweetheart?" She said brushing her hand over her new wife's arm. All she got back was a soft mumble and a snore. She chuckled "Come on my darling, let's get you ready for bed"  
"How about you just undress me while I lay here" Gail offered with a yawn.  
"Your so lazy" Holly said with a chuckle as she stood up.  
"I'm so exhausted" the blonde said as she sat up on the edge of the bed.  
"You sound surprised" the brunette said as she took her jewellery off.  
"I just don't get how anyone can have the energy to have sex all night after a wedding" Gail said as she started to take her own jewellery off.  
Holly smiled at her "There's a huge tub in the bathroom, how about we settle for a bath together before bed" she offered.

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"We need one of these" Gail said, they were in the tub together, the blondes body resting against Holly.   
"Ours is big enough" Holly said picking up the glass of champagne and taking a drink.  
"Yea but we won't fit together in ours in a few months" Gail pointed out as she used the washcloth on the brunettes skin.  
"True" Holly said and kissed her temple "But we still aren't replacing our bath"   
The blonde pouted for a second "Fine" she said.  
"So what happened to get to so angry before?" The brunette asked, changing the subject.  
Gail sighed "Just Dov and his jealousy and complete lack of tolerance"  
Holly tilted to the side and looked at the woman in front of her "Please, please tell me he didn't say anything to Chris or Matt, what they did tonight was huge for them"  
"No I overheard him saying he didn't know what Chris was thinking, so I took him outside to tell him off, I ended up telling him not to speak to me or Chris until he can just be happy for him" the blonde explained, still washing the brunettes thighs.  
Holly kissed the side of her head and held her in tight "Thank you" she whispered "If Matt gets spooked he may never come out" she added sounding worried.  
"We'll help them through it, I'll kick anyone's ass that has problems with it" Gail reassured her "The baby won't stop me either" she said figuring her wife may comment on that. They laid quietly for a few seconds "I know we've been joking about it" Gail said as she ran the washer up and down.  
Holly's arm that was around her "But I've been thinking about taking your name" she said softly.  
"Really?" The brunette said with a smile "This isn't just to piss off your Mom is it?" She asked.  
The blonde looked up at her wife "No it isn't, it's to give our kids a chance to avoid the stigma of the Peck name, to give me a chance to get away from it too, stop confusion when I do eventually become a detective" she moved her hand to Holly's cheek "Most of all is to show how much you, Dr Stewart, mean to me"  
Holly leaned down and kissed her softly for a second, then had a thought "So what do I do to show you how much you mean to me?" She asked as she looked into the blondes eyes.  
"Nothing, you gave me a second chance then married me, I think that's enough for now" Gail said honestly and pulled Holly back into a kiss, silencing any protest she had.

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After making out a little in the bath, Gail told Holly she thought the should waste the huge bed in the other room and move to the bedroom. Happy to go with whatever her new wife wanted the brunette got out of the bath then helped the blonde out "I love you" Holly said softly as she wrapped the blonde in a towel. As heated as their make out session she could see that Gail was still completely exhausted.  
"I lo...." A yawn interrupted her sentence "Love you too" she finished.  
"I think we should just go to sleep my love" The brunette said "We have the whole week to make love as much as we want" she said as she helped her dry off. They dressed and slid into bed. Gail snuggled up to Holly, wanting to be as close as possible. The brunette kissed her head "You feeling okay?" She asked.  
"Yes, just exhausted, I didn't sleep very well last night" the blonde answered sleepily "I'm sorry" she added.  
"What for?" Holly asked  
"Not being able to make love to you" Gail explained.  
The brunette chuckled "Go to sleep my darling, we have plenty of time for that later" she said.  
No answer came and within a minute the blonde was snoring "Good night Mrs Stewart" she said and kissed her head again, it didn't take Holly long to be fast asleep next to her.

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Hope you enjoyed it. More to come soon. Thanks for the love I got from my last update. Your messages of love and support are a great source of inspiration and comfort for me.

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	23. Chapter Twenty Three

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

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Sorry this one has been delayed. Life has been really stressful, currently no idea when surgery on my spine will be so I'm pretty much in bed for a lot of the day until then and we've had a critically ill dog. She had an intestinal blockage, two massive surgeries, lots of medication, force feeding, three weeks of upset and worry and over $2000 later she's finally on the mend, she walks like a drunk but she's getting stronger every day and she started eating on her own 48 hours ago. This has made it hard for me to write K-9 because I just kept thinking about our dog. I did post a 'the 100' Clexa story but only because that jumped in my head at 3am the morning after episode 307 aired. If your interested feel free to read it, I'll try and get to work on the K-9 fic once I've posted this. Please read and review. Reviews keep me writing cos it lets me know there is still interest.

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Chapter Twenty Three

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After their wedding night the pair spent their first week as a married couple at their cabin, just enjoying each other's company, making love a lot of course and just spending some down time before the stress of life, Holly's promotion, the pregnancy and their jobs came on top of them. When they walked in the door of their home on the Friday they found Matt cooking and Chris sitting at the bench "Oh hey" the other Stewart called out "I didn't think you guys were back till this afternoon"  
"We have a doctors appointment" Holly explained as she struggled in with her suitcase.   
"Let me" Chris said jumping up "Upstairs?" He asked, grabbing both of them.  
"Please" Gail answered, as she dropped onto a stool.  
"Oh that's right" he said "We'll get out of your hair tonight"   
"Please stay" the blonde said shaking her head, then when her friend was gone she turned to the other man "Has Dov said anything yet?" Gail asked in a low tone.  
"Nope" Matt said and looked towards the stairs "Ever since he saw us dancing at the wedding he won't speak to him"  
"I've gotta go to 15 today, I'll have another word with him" Gail said. Her brother in law nodded.  
"So did you guys enjoy your honeymoon?" Chris asked as he came back to his seat.  
Holly moved in behind her wife, wrapping her arms around her "Yes we did, thank you" the brunette said "You boys are welcome to use the cabin anytime"  
"Just don't leave it in a stinking male mess" the blonde said, pulling a face.  
"We won't" Matt said "You two gonna stay for lunch?"  
Holly checked her watch "No we have to make a move to get to the appointment then we both have to visit work"  
"We should probably head out now?" Gail agreed.  
"Dinner tonight, I'll cook?" Matt offered.  
"Sounds great" Holly answered and they headed out.

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"I don't like her" Gail complained as they walked out of the doctors office "She's too...."   
"Straight?" Holly offered as the walked hand in hand to the SUV.  
"She kept asking about the father, how many times did we explain it" the blonde scoffed.  
"She honestly wasn't that bad, she knows Rachel and her wife, she's not homophobic" the brunette reasoned. The two women's personalities had clashed badly and Gail was the one who needed to feel comfortable in all of this so she really needed to support her even if she thought she was being unreasonable "I'll see if Rachel can recommend someone else" she offered.  
"Can we ask Rachel to do it?" The blonde asked "This is our baby Hol, we want the best right?"  
"I'll talk to her, I'm sure she'd have some ability to see you as an OB/GYN patient" Holly agreed "But if she can't, promise me you'll at least look at some other doctors" the brunette added as she unlocked the car.  
"I promise" Gail agreed as they got in the car.  
Holly started the car "So you are going to tell Frank about the baby this afternoon aren't you?" She asked as she back out of their space and headed out of the parking lot.  
"That was my plan, Oliver texted me earlier, telling me cos I'm not taking the detective exam yet Frank's gonna ask me to start as a TO for the new rookies in the next two weeks, I wouldn't tell him if my job wasn't dangerous" the blonde explained "I know you wanna tell your mum but it's still early are you sure we should?"   
"I don't wanna jinx it" Holly sighed.  
Gail smiled and took her hand "But it's killing you not telling anyone, you can always come with me to tell Frank" She suggested.  
"We told Matt, Chris, Traci and Steve" she kissed the blondes hand "That's enough, we'll give it a few more weeks then have dinner with both of our parents"

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"I just need to grab my kit and we can get going" Holly said as the walked into the forensics department.  
"Hey Dr Stewart" Rodney said "How was the honeymoon?" He asked from his seat in front of one of the machines.  
"It was wonderful" she answered looking back at Gail, who was leaning on the doorway. They shared a smile "Anything of interest?" She said pointing to the page being printed.  
"No big cases if that's what you mean" he answered.  
Holly picked up her kit "Actually you and I need to have a meeting on Monday about a few things, 10.30 okay with you?" She asked.  
"Sure" He answered, concentrating more on the paperwork than his boss "I need to get these results into 17, Have a good weekend" he said and headed out.  
"Telling him about the promotion?" Gail asked as Holly stopped in front of her.  
"When I signed the contract I asked Henry to let me tell the staff I work with after the wedding" she explained "I figured it's the right way to do it"  
The blonde nodded and gave her a kiss "I'm still very proud of you, you know" she said her hands coming to rest on the brunettes hips.  
Holly smiled "I know" she kissed Gail again "Come on let's get out of here before someone asks me to do something" she said taking the blondes hand and leading her out the door.

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"Peck" Frank said from the platform near his office as he saw Gail and Holly walking across the bullpen "I didn't think I'd see you until parade on Monday"  
"Actually it's Stewart and that's one of the reasons we're here" the blonde said as they reached him.  
The older man gestured to his office, both women walked in and he followed closing the door, both women took a seat opposite his "I thought you might take Holly's name so I had these organised" he said as he opened his drawer and placed a set of name patches in front of her with 'Stewart' written on it.  
Gail couldn't help but smile at the gesture "Thank you sir, I'll get the paperwork filled in and back to you on Monday" she said, she actually already had the paperwork just hadn't filled it in yet.  
"I'm thinking you two have something else to talk about though" he said sitting back.  
Gail looked at Holly and nodded, she knew the brunette wanted to do it "Gail's pregnant" she said with a beaming smile.  
"So it was a shot gun wedding" Frank joked "Congratulations" he said with a smile, his mind going to his own baby girl "I'm assuming this isn't common knowledge yet?" He asked.  
"No, a few people know, my parents don't so.."   
"I won't, it won't go past me" he smiled "well maybe to Noelle" he added with a grin.  
Gail rolled her eyes "that's fine"  
"Well this might change things with your shifts depending on how you want to handle it" he said seriously "I was thinking about putting you with Daiz as his temporary TO for the next two weeks then assigning you one of the new rookies" he said pulling out a file "I am going to use McNally as Diaz'eQ TO until he's off probation but she's on a guns and gangs case for another week" Frank explained "Or you can take the desk job now instead of at the required 25 weeks, it's up to you I'll support your decision either way, even if you start and decide on the desk job"   
Gail looked at her wife, they'd discussed it, the blonde wasn't to take any stupid risks or push herself too hard and Holly would be okay with her staying on the street until she was required to stop "It's up to you" the brunette said quietly.  
"I would like to give being a TO a go" Gail said, Holly reached over and took her hand giving it a squeeze of encouragement.

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After hashing out a few details they headed out of the Staff Sergeants office "Hey, how's my favourite Newlyweds?" Oliver said spotting them.  
"Heading home" Gail said as the walked down the stairs to the bullpen.  
"We're heading to The Penny tonight if your up for it" he said hopefully "Epstein, McNally and everyone will be there" Gail raised an eyebrow "I know I just made you not wanna go even more" he joked.  
"Speaking of Dov, is he here?" Holly asked.  
"He was but I think he and Collins were about to head back out" the older man explained.  
"When is Nick doing ETF training?" The blonde asked.  
"He's got two more weeks here before he starts"   
Before anymore could be said Gail caught sight of the man they were discussing "Nick" she called as she headed down the corridor.  
"Will we see you tonight?" Oliver asked Holly as she went to follow her wife.  
"I'll see if I can convince her" the brunette said and headed in the same direction Gail had gone.  
"Where's Dov?" The blonde asked as she reached her ex.   
Nick raised an eyebrow "Hi Gail, How are you?"  
Gail rolled her eyes "Cut the crap Nick, where is the homophobic little ass?"  
He shook his head "He went to the equipment room, his radio wasn't working properly"  
The blonde went towards the room without saying anymore "Thanks" Holly said and again followed her.  
Gail walked into the room, Dov was facing the other direction, Holly came in behind her and closed the door. They both stayed silent and wait for him to turn. He finished fixing the radio and yelped when he saw the couple "You scared the crap out of me" he said holding his hand to his chest.  
"I am about to do worse than that, Why haven't you spoken to Chris?" Gail asked with no preamble.  
Dov sighed his eyes falling to the floor "I don't know what to say"  
"What the fuck does that mean, why do you have such a problem with him being...." The blonde started.  
"It's not that" he said interrupting "After the wedding I realised it wasn't that he's gay or bi or whatever"  
"Then what the hell is it?" Holly asked from next to Gail, her arms folded.  
"He never told me, he doesn't talk to me like we use to" he sighed "He was my best friend until the drugs and your brother" he looked down at his belt as played with the buckle. The brunette unfolded her arms ready to defend her brother when Dov continued "it's not Matt" he said, realising how it sounded.  
"Then what is it?" Holly asked, feeling a little less defensive.  
"I feel, I don't know, left out, left behind maybe" he said with a shrug "You two are both so happy, Andy and Sam are talking about getting married, Oliver and Celery, Traci and your brother. Before rehab and Matt it was always Chris and I, even when he was with you we still had our time now he's either working, with Matt or at a meeting..."   
He went to keep talking but Gail stopped him "Hold on a second, that's all, you're jealous?"  
"Well..." He thought about it for a few seconds "..no.." He lied hesitantly.  
The blonde rolled her eyes "I can't believe I'm wasting one of our last days off doing this" she smacked Dov on the side of the head "Grow up" she said and stormed out.  
Holly waited until the door closed behind her, she grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket "You listen to me.." He went to speak "Shut up, it's the grown ups turn to talk" she said then continued getting in his face "You have exactly 24 hours from the time I let you go to contact Chris and apologise for the way you've treated him and tell him your happy for him, if you don't they will never find your body" she said her tone dropping lower for the last part. Dov considered his options and gave in with a quick nod. Holly released him and pushed him backwards so he collided with the bench behind him, she turned to leave then stopped, she didn't face him "Remember I know every way to get rid of a body and leave no evidence" she added in a frightening tone then left.  
The man realised then, he'd broken into a sweat, he believed every word she said.

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The couple spent most of the weekend just relaxing, they managed to get Rachel to agree to handle the pregnancy and had their first appointment then they spent a lot of that time with Matt and Chris. Holly's brother would be moving out in two weeks so they were happy to spend their remaining time off with them. Dov had turned up at the house at the end of his shift on Friday, he and Chris had spent a few hours outside on the porch in the cold sorting out their issues. After Dov had left and Chris was much happier. Monday morning came quickly, unfortunately the couple had quickly become accustomed to getting up in their own time, they missed the alarm and were running very late. Gail ran into the kitchen grabbing one of the pieces of toast the brunette had placed on a plate for her. She had her bottom half dressed in her uniform and on the top half, she had her black undershirt on with her uniform shirt with one arm through it and her hair dripping wet from the shower "You need to eat more than that" Holly said as she poured coffee into flask mugs for them both. She put milk in both cups "Your only cup" she said as she put the lid on it and placed it in front of the blonde.  
Gail scrunched her face up "Ten hours on one cup?"  
"Yes" the brunette said "caffeine isn't good for the baby" she grabbed the front of the blondes pants and tugged her forward "Be careful today please" she said as she helped her put the rest of her shirt on and started buttoning it as her wife finished her toast.  
"I know baby" Gail said around her toast, understanding her concern "I start with Chris today, he knows what's going on" she added and swallowed.  
Holly finished doing up the buttons "I want to hear you say it" she said sounding worried.  
The blonde took the brunettes face in her hands "I promise you, I will be careful and I will make sure we both come home to you" she gave her a soft kiss "I love you too much, Dr Stewart, I'll always come back to you" she said resting her head on Holly's.  
The sound of a cell phone disturbed their moment "That's mine" The brunette said, she kissed the blonde one more time and let her go "Have a good day Officer Stewart" she said poking the name on her chest.  
"I gotta go" the blonde said looking at her watch. She pulled away, grabbed her gear, her coffee, the rest of her breakfast and took off "I love you" she said as she ran out the door.  
"I love you too" Holly called out after her and went to answer her phone.

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"Morning everyone" Frank said at parade, Gail had just made it in time before he started. She slipped in the back and sat next to Traci on a desk "We have Officer Diaz heading back on the road as a rookie for a couple of month to see how he goes. Officer Stewart, formally Peck has offered to take him on as his TO until our new rookies arrive" he informed them, her brother looked at her and grinned "We've got the usual winter woes so watch the speeders, assignments are on the board and stay safe out there"  
Chris checked the board while Gail was talking to Traci, resting both her hands in the neck of her vest "We're with Detective Peck today" he said.  
"That explains the grin I got" She said with a sigh, knowing her brother was going to be using them in the most boring way possible."I'll catch up with you later" she said to Traci "Let's go" she said following the direction her brother went.  
Nick and Chloe were waiting in Guns and Gangs when they arrived "Ok" Steve said "So this is the case we've had McNally on for the last two weeks, remember that gay bar we busted last year, this is the lead we got from the boss there, we've had McNally get a job at another club to try and get the inside track"  
"So what are we needed for?" Nick asked.  
"You and Price are going to play the part of patrons tonight to keep an eye on McNally, so you won't look out of place next week when we do the takedown" he said.  
"And us?" Chris asked.  
"Because your not allowed to do UC until after your six months probation, you and Gail will be with me today doing the prep on the raid on a place over on Hill Drive on Wednesday" he said "We've had a firm tip off that it's one of the main storage places they use"  
The blonde frowned "I thought this case was done with"  
"Some new evidence came to light when they arrested Santana" he said "I have a feeling it's the first of many cases this is going to happen with"  
"The Allen case?" She questioned.  
He shook his head "It's only cases involving big money on guns and gangs that seem to have been affected" he said.  
Before anymore could be said Frank stuck his head in the door "Can I borrow Diaz and Stewart?" He asked.  
"Sure, it's mainly paperwork today so I can spare them" he said.  
Both officers walked out following their Staff Sergeant "it's only a quick welfare check. There's been a call to dispatch from worried parents, they're in Vancouver and they're daughter hasn't called them in a few days and they say they can't contact her" he explained "It's not far from here and everyone else has already gone, I just thought it might be a good start for you both getting back on the streets"   
"We'll take care of it" Gail said  
He held out a sheet of paper with the details on it "Stay safe out there" he said as the blonde took it.

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Gail knocked on the front door of the house for the fourth time "I have a bad feeling.." She muttered.  
"Maybe she's just staying with a friend" Chris suggested as he was moving around the front of the house trying to see if anything was disturbed "Gail"  
"Yea?" She said as she started to walk around the back.  
"Look" he said pointing in the window.  
She walked over, they could see bare feet sticking out near the couch, like someone was laying on the floor "Fuck" she mumbled, they both moved to the front door, Chris leaned back and kicked it in. Gail drew her weapon and moved inside, they quickly cleared the house, when the blonde approached the naked girl, she knew it was way too late, the knife sticking out of her chest and the bruising all over her was evidence that this wasn't accidental. She sighed and grabbed her radio, letting them know there was a homicide.

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Gail was standing outside the house when Holly pulled up. Traci and Sam were already on scene, they were talking to the neighbours while they waiting for the forensic team. She watched her wife get out then grab her kit from the back seat. Two other techs pulled up in a car behind her. She smiled at the brunette as she walked up the steps to the small porch "Hey there officer" Holly said with a smile as she approached.  
"Hey beautiful" the blonde said and gave her a quick kiss "Quick heads up, she's young, she's only 16"  
"I know, I read the preliminary" the brunette said resting her free hand on Gail's hip "Lead on" she said, she gave her another kiss and they headed inside. The blonde lifted the police tape that had been strung across the front door.  
"Hey Hol" Traci said from behind them, Gail still held the tape up for her as well. They left Chris and Sam outside with a couple of other officers talking with the neighbours.  
If the scientist was affected by the scene, she didn't show it, she pulled out gloves and a few other things and got to work. The other techs started photographing and collecting possible evidence "I would say she's been here about 12 hours" she started, she inserted a liver thermometer to double check the timing "The knife may have nicked an artery but I would say from the bruising on her ribs she's had internal bleeding so I can't give you a definitive cause of death until I get her back to the lab" Holly turned and picked up her camera from her bag.  
Gail watched her as she photographed some of the body, paying close attention to the wounds and bruises, in particular the knife "Should the knife be left in?" She asked out of curiosity more than need, forensics would normally handle and movement or touching of the body.  
Holly looked up at her and smiled, proud that she now asked questions instead of assuming she knew what to do "After photographing it we can remove it gently. If we left it in it could change the wound and if that happens we may not learn cause of death"  
The blonde nodded, letting her know she understood and went back to quietly watching her wife work. Something she always enjoyed.  
"Was she raped?" Traci asked.  
The doctor sighed "From the bruising around her thighs, I would say possibly yes, but I can't say for sure until I do the autopsy"  
Gail had another thought "Her family said she hadn't made contact for the last few days but she's only been dead for about 12 hours, do you think she's been held by someone or just a teenager being a teenager?"  
Holly looked up at her, she heard something in her wife's voice that told her that something was upsetting her, she continued working, knowing the scene was important, she checked the girls wrists "There is some bruising here, from the looks of it she was handcuffed" she turned her hand over, her fingernails were broken and her fingers were bruised "No matter how long the attack went on, she definitely put up a fight"  
Gail swallowed "I'm...." She walked out without saying anymore.  
"She'll be okay" Traci said not looking up from her notepad.  
"Maybe" The brunette said, knowing the blonde would be angry with herself for being affected by whatever upset her, which would cause her even more turmoil.  
Both women surveyed the scene quietly for a minute until Chris came in "Gail asked me to come in and help if you needed it" he said.  
"Thanks" Holly said, she held out her camera "Can you photograph the body while I finish getting a few more samples?"   
"Sure" he said "She's talking to the neighbours with Swarek" he added as he took the camera. The brunette nodded and they both got to work.

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By the time Holly left the house, Gail and Chris had been called back to 15 to do some leg work for Steve's guns and gangs case. It was a couple of hours before the brunette saw her wife. After finishing the autopsy she decided to take her preliminary findings to Traci at 15 and see if she could catch Gail while she was there.   
She walked into 15 and headed through the bull pen as she walked up the stairs to head to the homicide office she could see her wife walking towards her, the blonde frowned as she walked approached her "Hey, is everything okay?" She asked sounding concerned.  
"I was gonna ask you the same thing" Holly said as she took Gail's hand, she quickly ducked into the detective offices and dropped the file on Traci's desk, the detective was no where to be seen.  
"What are you doing?" The blonde asked as she was led to an empty interrogation room "These rooms seem to be our thing" she comment as her wife closed and locked the door.  
Holly moved over and took Gail into her arms, the blondes arms resting on her shoulders, hoping she wouldn't freak out when she brought this up "What happened at that house? I know you and it clicked something in your brain" The officer tensed and pushed at her shoulders "No" the brunette said firmly, gabbing her arms "I'm not going to have you run from this, we can call Janine if you would rather talk to her"  
Gail scrunched her face up and managed to pull out of Holly's grip "How are you stronger than me?" She complained, rubbing her upper arm, knowing she only got away because she let her.  
The brunette shrugged "Lifting bodies?" She suggested, she crossed her arms and lent on the desk behind her "Gail" she added trying to bring the other woman back to the point.  
"I don't know" the blonde said quietly and half sat on the desk next to her "I just got one of those flashes and I felt like I was gonna panic. Janine said to either face the issue if I think I can, I tried but when you said she'd been handcuffed but fought...." Her voice went.  
"You couldn't do it" Holly finished for her, she uncrossed her arms and took Gail's hand in her own. She started playing with the wedding ring that now permanently graced the blondes left hand.  
"You'd think by now I'd be able to" the officer said as she rested her head on the doctors shoulder "I just wish that I could just leave it all behind me" she stopped for a beat then continued "Sometimes I think maybe if I left the job it might help but then I remember the scum that's still out there and I truly believe if I left it would only get worse because I'm not trying to do anything about it anymore"  
Holly kissed her forehead "You know whatever you decide to do I'll support you, no matter what it is and getting past it, It takes as long as it takes, even if you never get past it, I'll always be here when you need me" she used her free hand to tilt the blondes head up and kissed her softly and sweetly  
Gail didn't answer, she just sat enjoying the comfort and relaxation her wife bought her "Do you need to get back?" She asked after a few minutes.  
"Well, I don't officially start my new position until March so I unfortunately need to go over the results from this mornings case myself, which should be back by..." Holly looked at the blondes watch "1 which gives me about 30 minutes, so if you want, I have time for lunch, if you think Chris could live without you for a while" she added, giving Gail a smile.  
The blonde gave her a kiss "I'm sure he'll manage, come on, I really want a burger and fries" she said standing and tugging her towards the door.  
"Cravings already?" Holly asked, letting herself be led.  
"No, Oliver had one and that's where I was heading when you stopped me"

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The next morning, it was just after 6, Holly had gotten up before Gail. The blonde had a bad night, waking up screaming multiple times. She left her to sleep and had gotten started on breakfast. She was bending in the refrigerator getting the bacon out when two arms circled her waist "Morning" Gail husked and tugged the brunette against her.  
Holly put the bacon on the nearby bench and turned in the blondes arms, tugging her into her body "Morning" she said and kissed her "Your up early, did get any sleep?" She asked.  
"A little" she said "I might go shower, thankfully I can get Diaz to drive today" she said into Holly's neck as she settled into the brunettes embrace.  
"I thought you were showering" the doctor chuckled at the woman against her, running her hands up and down her back.  
"Cuddles with you come first" she said.  
"I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth" Chris said from the kitchen doorway, near the entry.  
Gail didn't move but spoke "Diaz you tell anyone and they won't even be able to identify your body" she threatened.  
"Your secret is safe with me" he said "Are you coming in today?" He asked picking up his go bag.  
The blonde released her grip on Holly and turned in her arms, wrapping them around her "Yea, you'll have to drive, I'm too tired" she knew why he was asking, she'd screamed so loudly last night, Matt had looked in on them in the very early hours of the morning.  
"Yes Ma'am" he said, jokingly saluted her and left "Have a good day, Holly" he called back.  
The brunette kissed her wife's neck "He's going early, you don't start until 8 do you?"  
"He's been working out before shift, it's a NA thing, a way to centre himself or something" Gail explained "I don't wanna go anywhere" she added pulling her wife in tighter.   
"I know" Holly said softly, they stood for a minute, the brunette holding her from behind until the blondes stomach growled "You need breakfast, go shower and I'll finish the pancakes and cook the bacon" she said.  
"Okay" Gail said reluctantly leaving her arms, she turned and kissed her wife and left.

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Holly had only just finished the pancakes when Gail reappeared and attached herself to the brunettes back. The doctor was use to her wife being clingy after she had a bad night, she was usually grumpy too, she'd already texted Chris to warn him. The blondes arms were around her when she dropped the pieces of bacon in the pan, within seconds the smell of it cooking spread through the kitchen. Suddenly Gail took off for the downstairs bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Holly turned the stove off and went in the same direction. When she got there she heard the blonde retching, she slowly opened the door then closed if, fairly certain it had been the smell of the meat cooking that had caused it, she squatted next to her wife "It's was the bacon wasn't it?" She asked.  
Gail had finished vomiting still had her head down "I think so" she said, her voice a little croaky.  
"Joys of pregnancy" Holly said "You finished?" She asked.  
"Yea" the blonde said as she sat back and leaned on the wall "Rachel said things like this could happen"  
The brunette got up and grabbed a wash cloth "It's a little early but not completely unusual" she wet it and squatted in front of her again "You feeling okay?" She asked " or do you need me to call Frank?"  
Gail took the cloth and cleaned her face as Holly flushed the toilet "No I think I'll be okay it was just the smell of the..." She swallowed, even thinking about it made her feel like she'd dry reach "I could eat actually" she said.  
The brunette smiled "Stay here for a minute and I'll get rid of the offending food" she kissed the blondes head and opened the door closing it quickly.   
She found her brother in the kitchen "You want me to finish cooking the bacon?" He asked.  
"God no, Gail vomited once already from the smell, we need to get rid of it or put it away and you can have it later"  
"Morning sickness?" He asked.  
"First time yes" Holly said she couldn't help but smile.  
Matt returned the smile "I'll eat it after you go, he picked up the frypan and put it in the oven and they cleaned the residue and sprayed air freshener, getting rid of the smell so Gail could eat before work.

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Gail and Chris were asked to help Traci and Sam with the murder of Elizabeth Michaels, the young girl they found the day before as they were the first on scene, instead of the guns and gangs case. The blondes stomach seemed reasonably settled after breakfast, she'd passed on coffee though. They spent the morning running around for the detectives. They were headed back into the station with a witness, a friend of Elizabeth, Jenny.  
"Why do I have to come in with you?" She asked, her voice wavering a little, she'd been crying all morning since she heard about her friend.  
"We need to get your statement on record and because you're a minor it means you need a parent or lawyer present" Chris explained as he drove.  
"Your mom is leaving work now, she'll meet us a the station" Gail told her "if we can get your statement that you were there until 7 on the night she was murdered the we can work out who saw her next, or maybe you saw something that can help us work out who was at the house after you"  
"Okay" the teenager said and looked at the window "I should have stayed" she commented softly as the tears fell.   
The blonde officer looked back at her "It's possible that if you stayed you'd be dead too"

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As they walked in through booking, they saw Dov sitting there "Hey guys" he said "Oliver bought some pizzas, they're in the parade room when your ready"  
"Thanks" Chris said as they walked past "Would you like a slice?" He asked the young girl, who nodded "You?" He said to Gail.  
The blonde shook her head, the pancakes went ok but she figured greasy pizza may not "I'll pass" she said "We'll go to one of the waiting rooms until your mom gets here" she added.  
They walked in and sat down "So what made you become a cop?" Jenny asked.  
"My family are all police officers and I figured I give it a try"   
The girl looked at her "You became a cop cos of your family?" She asked.  
"First off, then once I was through the academy and started working I realised its where I'm suppose to be. I met my wife on the job and I've been through a few things but I feel like I'm making a difference"  
Jenny looked at her hands "Your a lesbian?" She asked.  
Gail frowned at the girl, that had been the last question she was expecting "Yea I am" she answered.  
"I'm...." The girl started, she sighed "Well, Lizzie and I, we..." She hiccuped trying not to cry  
"You were together?" The blonde probed.  
She nodded "The reason her mom couldn't contact her was because she was staying at my place. She didn't like staying at home alone so we invited her to stay then when my mum realised she was my girlfriend she said she had to go home" she explained, Gail opened her mouth to ask a question but the girl anticipated it "Her cell phone got broken, it's in getting fixed"  
The blonde nodded "We should wait for your mom and the detectives before you say anything else" she said, before she could say anymore Chris returned with a pizza box and two cans of soda.  
He sat the box down and tugged it open, letting the smell out, as soon as it hit Gail's nose, her stomach lurched and she took off "Is she okay?" Jenny asked.  
"She's pregnant" Chris explained.

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"Shit" Gail said into the toilet once her stomach had stopped purging, she was squatted in front of the bowl, she sat up and leaned her back against the door.  
"It was the pizza wasn't it?" She heard Traci's voice from the other side of the door.  
"Yea and bacon this morning" she groaned "I thought I had a couple more weeks before this"  
"Hits everyone differently, just avoid the things that set you off"  
"Two of my favourite foods, great" she complained, she stood up and flushed the toilet "Is there a particular reason your stalking me or are you just enjoying my misery?' She asked as she came out of the stall, she washed her hands then walked to her locker to get mouthwash.  
"Jennifer Turner's mother is here, we went into and interrogation room to talk to her but she refuses to talk until your there cos you understand" Traci said with a frown.  
Gail put the mouthwash on the sink, turned on the water and splashed some on her face. She rinsed her mouth out then used the mouthwash, making the detective wait. She spat it in the sink "Just give me a minute and I'll be in there"  
"Thank you" Traci said and left.  
Gail pulled her phone from her pocket, sat on the bench in front of her locker and dialled her wife "Dr Stewart" she said when she answered.  
"You busy?" The blonde asked, knowing she'd been distracted enough that she didn't check the call ID.  
"Not overly" Holly said still distracted.  
"Your reading" Gail pointed out, knowing what her wife can be like with work.  
The blonde heard the shuffle of papers "Sorry I just got some results, now I'm all yours, what's up?" The doctor asked.  
"So it turns out I can't handle the smell of pizza either" she said miserably.  
"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry" Holly said, concern lacing her tone "Are you okay?"  
"Well my breakfast just ended up in the toilet but I'm feeling ok I guess" she grumbled.  
"Did the pizza have meat on it?" She asked.  
Gail's stomach rolled thinking of the smell "I'm fairly sure it did" she said after swallowing  
"It could just be the bacon still" The brunette offered, knowing how much her lover adored her pizza "You gonna be okay or did you want me to come take you home?" She offered.  
"I need to stay, we might have a lead with the last person who saw her" the blonde said with a sigh, she got up and put her mouthwash away and headed out of the locker room.  
"I'm sure Traci can handle it" Holly said still sounding worried.  
"I'm alright baby" Gail said "I made friends with this girl and she wants me in there, plus I'm not sick, I'm not gonna be able to run home every time I puke" she was outside the door of the interrogation room "I've gotta go, I love you"  
"I love you too" the brunette said "Stay safe"  
"I will, bye"  
"Bye"  
Gail pocketed her phone and opened the door, Traci was sitting opposite the girl and her mother, she sat down in the empty seat next to the detective. She gave the other girl a reassuring smile.  
"Ok so how did the last day you saw Elizabeth start?" Traci asked.

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The girl recalled their last day including her mothers argument that she could no longer stay, the woman said she felt like she was to blame because she'd sent the girl home then they'd continued "So after you arrived at Elizabeth's place were there any unusual cars outside or anything unusual?" Traci asked.  
"Well there was the cop car but you guys should know about that right" she said "The guy said that someone reported a prowler and he and his partner were looking around"  
"Can you give us a minute?" Traci said and she got up, she gestured for Gail to follow.  
"Can I get you a coffee or soda?" The blonde asked as she followed the detective.  
"Soda please" Jenny said, her mother just shook her head, the poor woman looked like she was in shock.  
They walked into the viewing room "I've sent Diaz to find out if there were any prowler reports at that time, we did do the basic sweep for emergency calls around that time but it didn't show any distress calls" Sam said before they could say anything.  
"Are we thinking it could be an officer?" Traci asked "Maybe someone who Santana was using and covering for"  
"It could be someone posing as an officer, like when my uniform got stolen" Gail suggested.  
"Good thinking, we'll go talk to the neighbours again once we're done here" he said.  
"I'll go grab the drink for Jenny" the blonde said and left.  
"What are you really thinking?" Traci asked her partner.  
He shrugged "I'm hoping this isn't an officer, that's about it right now"

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After they finished the interview, they found out more information on the officer that Jenny had met and they'd told her they'd call if they found some one or had anymore news. Gail and Chris headed out to canvas near the Michaels home "You feeling okay now?" Chris asked.  
"My stomach seems to have settled" the blonde said as they walked from house to house "How's things with Dov?"  
He shrugged "I think he needs more time"  
"He needs a good kick up the ass" Gail said as they stopped outside the next house. She knocked, a woman of similar age to them answered "Good afternoon.." Was all the blonde said before the woman spoke.  
"Are you investigating the murder of that poor girl?" The woman asked.  
"Yes ma'am" Chris answered.  
"Please come in" she said standing aside.  
The woman settled them in the living room "Can I get you a drink?" She offered.  
"No thank you" Gail answered "Did you notice anything strange on the night she died?" She asked, her notepad out.  
"I remember hearing some really loud music over there in the middle of the night but aside from that.." She stopped for a few seconds "There was something, a man who I assumed was a police officer came here, he was talking about some prowler report, saying he was just making sure the neighbourhood was safe" she explained.  
"Why did you say you assumed it was a police officer?" The blonde asked.  
"He was in the same uniform as you guys but he didn't have a name tag thing" she said "I remember thinking it was strange"   
"What about the numbers on his shoulders, do you remember them?" Chris asked pointing to his own.  
"No I don't, I'm sorry" she said "But I know the same car he was driving came back when the loud music was playing"  
"How do you know it was the same?" Gail asked.  
"I wrote down the number"

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"I love nosy neighbours" Gail said as her and Chris walked into the Homicide section of 15 "There was a cop acting suspiciously in the area, his name tag was removed and most people said the felt something wasn't right, five different people say that there was a squad in the area during the time Jenny said and again during the time frame Holly gave us for the murder"  
"Did you get the number?" Traci asked hopefully.  
"19-06" Gail told them.  
"Alright Diaz contact dispatch find out where 19-06 location was at the time of the murder, don't push just ask" Sam said.  
"We need to get a listing of who had that squad at that specific time" Traci said.  
"We can't just call and ask?" Gail said, usually the different divisions were reasonably helpful with sharing information.  
"If 19 already know they have a problem with this guy they'll close ranks and make us get warrants, which could take a while" the female detective explained.  
The blonde thought for a second, then she got an idea "I might have an idea" she said and walked out.

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Gail walked back in ten minutes later with a printout of all the squad cars that were taken out 24 hours each side of the estimated time of death "How did you manage this?" Traci asked looking through the papers.  
"Quick phone call to mommy dearest, told her it could be a cop and she was more than happy to request the information for us" the blonde explained "Now because we got it through official channels it won't be a grey area in court"  
"Okay so we have two officers assigned to car 19-05 at the times the car was seen" the detective said "Officer Joel Fisher and Officer Henderson Evans"  
"Henderson Evans?" Gail said with a snort "Which ones his first name?" She asked.  
Traci shook her head and ignored the question "From the pictures Joel Fisher fits the description"  
"Before we jump the gun and ask 19 about him we should see if the neighbours and Jenny recognise him" Sam said.  
"Alright, Gail can you and Chris pick up Jenny and her mother. I'll organise a couple of squads to go out and canvas with his picture and see if they can identify him" Traci said.  
"Then if everyone agrees it's him we'll go and get him. We can't arrest another officer until we're sure. Nothing gets said to 19 until after we're finished" Sam added. Gail and Chris headed out to get Jenny

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Holly was looking in her microscope when she felt a head rest against her back. There was only one person who would do it "How are you feeling?" She asked still looking at the slide.  
"Crappy, but we think we might have got the guy who killed Elizabeth Michaels" Gail said resting her hands on her wife's hips.  
Holly put her head up "That's good" she said and wrote some notes down.  
The blonde stepped back and the brunette turned to face her "We're pretty sure it's a cop from 19" she said as she stepped between the other woman's legs.  
"That's gonna go down well after the debacle with the Commissioner" Holly said putting her arms around Gail.  
"Yea, I couldn't care less, they'd just sent Dov and Chloe over to pick him up, Frank contacted his Staff Sargent and told him they were coming and why, so it should just be a case of picking him up" the blonde said then put her arms around the brunettes neck "I'm so tired" she added as she leant her forehead on her wife's.  
"You can take some time off if you need to" Holly suggested.  
"And sit at home, no thanks" Gail said, she lifted her head "Anyway I'd just drive you insane sending you texts all day" she gave the brunette a kiss "Plus then everyone will know cos I'm not exactly the sit at home type"  
Holly knew Gail was just making excuses, she didn't want to seem weak and that was her real reasoning "Do you wanna go get a late lunch with me?" She offered "Something non bacon"   
The blonde shuddered at the word "I'm starving" she looked at the clock on the wall "I left Chris doing paperwork so yea I've probably got the time"

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Holly walked into 15 a few hours later, Gail had been picking her up but had gotten held up with the Elizabeth Michaels case, she'd seen the blonde again briefly an hour ago when she'd dropped off the DNA swab from Joel Fisher, they'd had enough to hold him overnight while they waited for the sample to process. The brunette had left it with Rodney and left for the night "Hey Hol" Chris said as he walked out of the locker rooms "I was just going to see if Gail needed a ride"  
"Do you know where she is?" Holly asked.  
"She was in the break room, last time I checked she was talking to Jenny, Elizabeth's girlfriend" he said.  
"Thanks, will I see you at home?" She asked.  
He nodded "Yea probably not till late, I've got an N.A. meeting then I'm heading to the restaurant"  
"I'll see you then" she said and they headed in opposite directions. She walked down the hall and went in the room to find, Steve sitting in a chair working on some papers while her wife was fast asleep on the couch next to him.   
When he spotted her, he gathered his papers and stood, meeting her at the door "When I came in earlier she was crying in her sleep" he explained quietly.  
"Yea the Michaels case has her in a bit of turmoil that and she's had to change medications cos of..." She didn't finish the sentence, she knew Steve would get it.  
"Say no more" he said "have a good night" he said and left.  
Holly moved over and sat on the table opposite her. She brushed a few stray hairs from her face, then kissed her cheek "Holly?" The blonde questioned as she slowly opened her eyes.  
"Yea it's me" she said still leaning over, she kissed her lips this time and sat up "You know our bed is much more comfortable"  
"That's true" Gail agreed wearily, her eyes starting to close again.  
"Come on beautiful, if you fall sleep now I'll have to get your brother to carry you to the car" the brunette said.  
The blonde opened one eye "Not likely" she stated and sat up, yawning "Let's go home"

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It was Friday evening and everyone had gone to the Penny. Joel Fisher had officially been arrested for Elizabeth's murder, it had taken a lot of extra work to get the case finalised due to the fact that her killer had been a police officer but they had finally charged him that afternoon. It was part of the reason they were out. Gail had gotten a lift with Traci as Holly had gotten held up. She was currently sitting at the table with the others, they'd we're currently debating which hockey team was best and the blonde was bored. She swirled the orange juice in the glass in front of her, she figured that was the best drink to have to hide the lack of alcohol, she threw the rest of it back and went to stand "I'll get this one" Oliver said and got up before she could speak.   
"Everything alright?" Celery asked sitting next to her.  
"Just worn out" she said "How's things with Ollie?" She asked, trying to take the focus off herself.  
The smaller brunette eyed her and ignored the question "Somethings different" she stated.  
"Well I did get married remember" Gail suggested.  
"No it's not that" Celery answered.   
Oliver returned with three drinks, he put his and Celery's down and handed the blonde hers "So how was your first week as a TO?" He asked.  
"Good, it was fun bossing Diaz around" she said and had a sip of the drink, she froze once it was in her mouth, she could taste the vodka in the orange juice. She held it in her mouth, both Celery and Oliver were watching her. She gave in and spat it back into her glass, she knew it would raise questions and even though she knew a sip wouldn't hurt the baby, she just didn't want to risk anything "Sorry I've only been drinking juice" she said.  
The couple sat there stunned for a second, then they exchanged a look and the other woman leant in close "You're pregnant aren't you?" She whispered.  
Gail swallowed then nodded "Don't tell anyone, we're waiting a few more weeks to do it officially" she whispered back.  
"Congratulations" Celery said, she put her hand on the blondes "I have a great morning sickness remedy if you wanna try it" she offered "There's nothing in there that would hurt the.." She stopped not wanting to accidentally tell anyone.  
"Hey" Holly said from behind them, she leant down and kissed Gail on the cheek. She looked at Celery and Oliver who looked very guilty, then back at her wife "What's going on?" She asked standing back up.  
"Let's go and get a drink" the man said, he winked at the blonde and led the doctor away "So Doc, How's married life going?" Oliver asked, as they both leant on the bar.  
"Wonderful" Holly said with a smile "What was that all about?" She said gesturing towards the table.  
"I bought Gail a vodka and juice, she took a sip and spat it out, I had suspicions that she might be pregnant because of the amount of throwing up she was doing"  
The brunette ordered the drinks for the four of them, then turned back to Oliver "So you fed her the drink knowing she wouldn't drink it" she said with a raised eyebrow.  
"I know it wasn't very nice but she did tell us" he said "Congratulations" he said giving her a hug "I do feel sorry for the rookie she ends up with, those hormones will give him hell"  
Holly smiled at him "That's true" she said, knowing Oliver was one of the only ones who she didn't mind the lighthearted teasing about her wife's disposition. She picked up hers and Gail's drinks "Just keep it to yourself" she said "We're trying to wait to tell everyone in a few weeks when things are a little safer" the brunette explained as they walked towards the table.  
"My lips are sealed" he said and winked at her.

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Hope you liked it. Much more left to go in this story hopefully you guys will stick with me and see what I have planned.

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	24. Chapter Twenty Four

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I can't apologise enough for how long this had taken to update. This year hasn't been the easiest on to cope with and in turn it's been hard to keep up with writing. I won't bore you with all the details but I do seem to be getting back into the mindset now. I am just happy that their are people out there still wanting to read this. I'll try my best to update as soon as I can. Hopefully the length of this update helps take some of the sting out of the long wait. I have not abandoned this story, I still have a lot more of it to write. Thanks for sticking with me

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

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Chapter Twenty Four

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A week later, Gail was sitting at her desk going over files, she had a feeling something didn't fit with the Michaels case, she'd been looking over the file and double checked each forensic report, she had even discussed the scene with Holly the night before. Something just wasn't adding up, like it was too easy or maybe just incomplete "You still obsessing over that case?" Traci asked as she approached, she knew her friend had been reading and rereading the case file since they made the arrest.  
"I'm telling you, this case isn't finished or maybe we're just missing something, this is the guy but..." She sighed unable to fully explain her reasoning.  
Traci frowned at her "Why are you so fixated on this?" She asked   
Gail shrugged, she growled and tossed her pen on the desk "I kept Holly up half of last night trying to work the whole thing through my head" she shook her head "Maybe I should just let it go" she mumbled.  
Traci looked towards the detective office, Sam was out following up on another case "Come on" she said grabbing the box of evidence "I'll walk through it with you"

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About an hour later, they were both looking at the laid out case and evidence, Traci now understood what her friend was talking about. There were things they just hadn't covered or hadn't been able to cover because 19 division had told them they'd give them the information but never did, like what the suspects partner was doing at the time of the murder was the very obvious one, it seems they'd zeroed in on the killer and forgotten the rest "I can't believe we didn't even talk to his partner" the detective said shaking her head.  
"You two asked to see me?" Frank said interrupting the conversation. Traci sat him down and explained the issues with the case, they had Joel Fisher's DNA on Elizabeth's body so that part was a slam dunk but the other parts of the case weren't so wound up "So we need to bring in his partner and question him and clean up the rest of the reports and get the statements finished" he stopped for a second "You and Diaz handled Jennifer Turners side of the case didn't you?" He asked.  
Gail nodded "She would only talk when I was around" she explained.  
"That part of the case is good, you and Diaz were put back on the Guns and gangs case after you got her statement" he said "Who took over?" He asked.  
The blond hesitated, she always hated putting her friends in trouble, even annoying ones "Epstein and Price" she said "I'm not sure it's their fault, since what happened with Santana its thrown everyone and everything into chaos" she added "They keep opening old cases and everything is such a mess"  
Frank sighed "I'll talk to the others, but I need you, Diaz and Nash to clean this up" he said and stood "You should probably call Holly over to make sure the evidence and the science all match" 

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It's was almost midnight that night and they were still working on the case, when Sam, Andy, Oliver and Nick had finished their shifts they came and helped where they could. Holly had turned up in the afternoon with all of her reports and files in relation to the case, then set to work ensuring there were full copies of everything. Nick had gone home an hour earlier and Sam and Andy were helping look for Fisher's partner, the man had apparently vanished. They had checked his home and with 19 and it would seem he'd never signed off duty on the night Elizabeth had been killed. There were questions as to why 19 hadn't mentioned it or even reported it. SIU has been called in and they were currently handling that aspect of the case with Sam and Andy's assistance. They'd moved from parade to the break room for comfort reasons. Gail had been dozing and eventually crashed out on one of the couches with her head in her wife's lap. Traci, Oliver and Holly had kept working "Maybe we should call it a night" the older man said with a yawn.  
The doctor stretched her neck and looked at the sleeping blonde "She already kept me up last night working on this, I just wanna get it done" she said going back to the laptop resting on the arm of the couch "I don't start until late tomorrow anyway, if we don't get it done we'll be working on it tomorrow morning" she added.  
"Coffee then?" Oliver offered.  
"Please" Holly said and Traci nodded.  
"Ive only got three files left to check" the homicide detective told her.  
"I think once I go through those we're done, it'll probably be another hour but at least it will be done" the doctor said as she played with Gail's short hair.  
Traci opened the next file "I still can't believe no one else picked up the issues with the case"   
"It would have been once it got to court" Oliver pointed out as he put the women's coffee's on the table.  
"That could have completely destroyed the case" Holly pointed out "All the evidence all of the investigation could have become inadmissible, meaning he would have gotten away with killing this girl"  
"It'll become about her being gay once that fact hits the media" Traci said "Her parents are already talking about doing a press release so it comes out their way instead of by tabloids"  
"Probably a good way to handle it" Oliver said as he sat back down.  
Frank walked into the break room followed by an SIU officer "This is SIU Detective Parker, she's the one who'll be handling the investigation into 19 and how it's effected the case" he explained. He looked at his officer that is currently asleep.  
"So who is Officer Stewart?" She asked.  
The three looked at each other "This is" Holly said, still running her hand through the blondes hair "this is my wife, Gail Stewart"  
"Ahh former Peck?" She asked.  
The brunette nodded "I'm sorry I can't wake.."  
She cut her off "It's fine" she said with a smile "it's well past midnight"  
"She's pregnant and exhausted" Holly pointed out "Otherwise she'd be awake working too" she didn't want the woman thinking Gail was being lazy.  
"It's fine and congratulations" she said, she realised why the doctor was defensive "I'm not here to investigate anybody from 15, investigation slip ups happen but you had 19 actively blocking your investigation, I'm actually impressed you still managed to catch him"  
"Brilliant forensics" A mumbled voice said from Holly's lap. Gail looked up at the brunette "I'm sorry I fell asleep"  
"It's okay sweetie" Holly said "We all just want it wrapped up"  
The blonde looked up at the stranger "No offence but who are you?" She asked, she was still laying with her head on her wife's lap with the brunette playing with her hair.  
"I'm from SIU, Detective Parker, I'm investigating the issues in regards to this investigation at 19 division" she explained.  
"Gail Stewart" Gail said as she sat up.  
"You were the one who realised there were issues with the case" the other officer asked.  
"It just felt incomplete" the blonde said with a yawn, she turned to Holly "I need to use the bathroom then I think we should head home" she said then got up and left the room.  
The SIU officer looked at the group "She's like that when she's tired, trust me leave it till morning" Traci said.  
The doctor closed the folder she was reading "I have two more reports to check, I'll go through them at home and drop them in before work tomorrow" she said packing up.  
"Yea I think we should all call it a night" Oliver agreed.

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Gail woke up a few hours later, she sat up and waited a few seconds then took off for the bathroom. Holly was up and following her fairly quickly, she walked into the bathroom, grabbed a face washer and dampened it. She squatted down next to the blonde, put it on the back of her neck, then rubbed her back as she vomited. She waiting until she sat back before speaking "I'm sorry" she said softly and kissed her temple.  
"All part of the joys of pregnancy" Gail groaned "I think I'm done"  
Holly grabbed the bucket they kept in the bathroom for these occasions "We should have come home earlier, it's always worse when you're exhausted" she said as she helped her wife up.  
"My choice to work last night" she said taking the bucket "I'm sorry I woke you"  
"I'd be upset if you didn't disturb me, in sickness and health remember" the brunette said as she helped her shaking wife to the bed.  
"I'm not exactly sick" the blonde pointed out.  
"Doesn't matter" Holly said "Lemonade?" She offered.  
"Please" Gail said resting her head back on the pillow as she laid back down. They'd found out that the soda usually settled the officers stomach as long as she didn't eat until after about 3pm she would get through the day without getting sick again if she stuck to only the lemonade..  
The brunette returned pretty quickly with a glass "Do you want me to call in for you in the morning?" She sat next to her wife on the bed and offered her the glass.  
"I should be alright by then" Gail said, she leaned up on her elbow, took the glass and had a sip of the drink.  
"Actually tell me if you're not this time" Holly said as she took the glass, she put it on her bedside table and turned off the lamp. She'd had to pick the blonde up from work the week before because she'd been unable to hold even water down.  
Once she laid back down Gail cuddled into her side "I will I promise" she said then yawn.  
"I love you" the brunette said and kissed the top of her head.  
"Love you" the blonde muttered as she dozed off.

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The next morning they officially handed in the entire Michaels case to SIU. Gail spoke to them about how she came across the mistakes and what they perceived as evidence that a few members of 19 had helped cover some aspects of the crime and didn't notify them of the missing officer that had been found dead, his body was in a shallow grave near the creek behind Fisher's house. Four officers from 15 found him when they'd gone back to the house to check for any sign of him. Both Gail and Chris had been given desk duty today to keep them in the precinct incase SIU needed them. I was a good thing because the pregnant blonde had spent much of the morning in the bathroom, after her fifth trip to the bathroom in an hour, Frank met her outside the women's locker room "You should go home" he said his hands in his pants pockets.  
"I'm alright, just having a bad morning sickness day" she said and looked at her watch "2 more hours and I'll be fine"   
"Officer Stewart, good, I need you to explain a couple of things" the SIU detective said as she walked towards them.  
"One more trip to the bathroom and you're on leave for two days, I mean it" he said. She nodded and followed the detective.  
As she walked away from Frank he pulled his cell phone and made a quick call.

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Holly walked in the front door of 15 to find Chris on the front desk but no Gail "I thought Gail said she was on front desk with you?"  
"She is, when she's not with SIU Detective or being sick" he said as he filled in paperwork.  
"I got a call from Frank saying she needed to go home because she was still vomiting" she explained.  
He buzzed her in "I think her last trip was to the bathroom"  
The brunette made her way through the bull pen and headed down the corridor to the woman's locker room. She found the blonde looking pale and rinsing her mouth with mouthwash, something she already had a habit of doing but it worsened since her pregnancy "Hey" she said letting her know she was there.  
Gail spat the liquid out and sighed "Frank called you" she stated.  
"Yea, I hear I'm taking you home and you're having two days sick leave" Holly said moving over to her and leaning her hip against the sink.  
The blonde turned and rested her hands on the brunettes hips and her head on her chest "I'm so tired" she whispered.  
Holly rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms "I know honey" she said and kissed the back of her head "You think your stomach can hold off long enough for me to get you home?" she asked.  
"I hope so"

0-0-0-0-0-0

They managed to get home without any issues, Holly got Gail set up, laying on the couch with a bucket, towels, some crackers and lemonade. She'd wanted her to go to bed but the blonde insisted she stay on the couch and the brunette wasn't really going to deny her anything right now "Shouldn't you be going back to work?" Gail called out to Holly from her spot on the couch.  
"When Frank called and explained, I went and organised a couple of personal days" she explained.  
The blonde half sat up "But..."  
The brunette walked in with a cup of tea for herself and her laptop under her arm "I'm still doing paperwork but unless any thing comes in that specifically needs my attention I'm here with you"  
Gail didn't have the energy to argue "okay" she said then yawned and laid back down. Holly moved to her feet, she lifted them so she can sit down under them. She rested her laptop on the blondes legs and got to work while Gail started to doze

0-0-0-0-0-0

The brunette had been working on the laptop for a good hour before the blonde started moving around, she glanced over at her, she seemed to settle then she heard a familiar gurgle, grabbed the bucket and didn't quiet managed to catch it when the blonde suddenly sat up and vomited. She missed the couch and towel but got herself and her wife. Holly held the bucket while Gail's shaky hands held onto hers. When she finally stopped, she looked down at herself "Crap" she said as she laid back "I'm sorry" she said, realising she also got the doctor as well.  
"No need to be sorry, I've had worse things on me than a little vomit, Do you think you can handle a shower?" The brunette asked as she put the bucket on the floor "We can use the downstairs one so you don't have to step up into it" The blonde slowly sat up and leaning forward, Holly could see she was visibly shaking "Stay here, I'll get everything ready and we can both shower" she put her laptop and files on the floor, she kissed the blondes forehead, she was actually a little warm. She made a mental note to check her for a fever after they cleaned up.  
Within about five minutes, Holly had everything ready and led Gail into the bathroom. She carefully undressed them both, trying not to spread the mess. Her wife just looked completely exhausted. She knew morning sickness wasn't anything to worry about and she also knew that Gail would probably be fine tomorrow but she'd still call Rachel just to check in. They got in the shower together and Holly washed Gail while the blonde held onto her "You doing okay?" The brunette asked.  
"I'm really tired" the blonde said wearily "I shouldn't have pushed things with that case"  
"Maybe not but instead of just stopping a killer you also found problems in 19 division" Holly pointed out "You just also learned your body is gonna punish you if you over do it like that again"  
"Yea I know" Gail said.  
The brunette tugged her head up "I love you" she said.  
The blonde gave her a smile "I love you too" she leaned in and kissed her wife softly. Just enjoying the quiet moment together.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Within a week Gail's morning sickness was becoming easier to handle. She had gotten use to avoiding triggers, been careful not to over do it things physically and about what she ate. It was her first morning as a TO to a new rookie. Chloe had been freaking out about being transferred but no one had been moved from 15 aside from Nick who'd gone to ETF training. They'd all seen him once at the Penny since his transfer but that had been about it. It was Monday morning and Gail walked into Parade, she was early, only Oliver and Frank were there "Morning" she said as she walked in adjusting her radio.  
"Morning Darling" Her ex TO said "You ready for your first rookie?" She asked.  
She said on the table at the back "As long as you don't give me a McNally clone, I'll be happy"  
"So when's the announcement dinner?" Oliver asked.  
"Tonight, Holly's brother is moving out at the end of this week so he wanted us all to have a sit down dinner so we figured we'd invite our parents and tell them" Gail explained "They'll be happy so it's not a big deal"  
"What's not a big deal?" Chris said as he walked in and handed Frank a file "Andy and Sam said you were looking for this"  
"Dinner tonight" the blonde said.  
"I think the bigger thing will be explaining why I'm at a family dinner again" the taller man said.  
After that comment there was a constant stream of officers into the room so the conversation ended. Traci, Steve, Sam and Andy joined her at the back of the room. Frank did his normal speech to the new rookies then started assigning them their TO's "Ok so Fox, you are with Officer Stewart" the young man turned and looked at Gail who gave him a blank look "Who now looks suitably horrified" he said with a chuckle and continued to give out the assignments.  
When parade was done she stood and went to leave, the rookie trailing behind her. She smirked, grabbed the keys to her squad for the day and her go bag and headed out to the parking lot.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"So..." The rookie said after Gail hadn't spoken in the first hour they were driving around on patrol.  
"You expecting some type speech?" the blonde asked, glancing at the nervous rookie sitting next to her.  
He looked at her "Not really, I've heard some TO's do it but you're the teacher, I'm here to learn, it's up to you how you teach"  
Gail smirked, kid seemed intelligent, good start "I have some rules, do not talk when I'm talking, do not touch anything until I say you can, listen when someone who knows more than you or is your superior and is speaking as you might just learn something, write down everything and the most important one is don't fuck up" she glanced at him again, he was furiously writing down what she'd said "Any questions?" She asked.  
"No ma'am" he said.  
She smirked again, before she could speak the radio crackled "15-19 911 call for possible break in, 1123 Lakeside Drive can you attend?"  
Gail picked up the radio "15-19, responding, on our way" she said "You know the switch?" She asked as she put the radio back.  
"Yes" he said, pointing to it.  
"Well.." She said, he flicked the switch to the lights and siren and they headed to the address.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Their first call had been pretty straight forward. It turned out it that the home owners teenage son had been stealing from him. Gail had offered to press charges but had the father had decided against it. They had gotten back on the road when the young officer tried to make small talk "I'm Will by the way" he said, expecting the blonde to introduce herself back but her gloved hands just gripped the steering wheel tighter "So are you married or single?" He asked "I just broke up with my girlfriend she wasn't...."  
"Enough" Gail snapped "New rule, don't try and make small talk" she huffed, she turned the car around and headed back towards 15.   
She got two blocks and was at a set of traffic lights when the radio sparked to life "15-19, Gail what's your 20?" She heard Oliver's voice.  
She picked up the handset "Just at the traffic lights on Park and West" the blonde answered.  
"There's an incident unfolding at the bridge on main, you need to get to here as soon as possible" he said,   
She frowned that was way out of their patrol area today, there was 4 other units closer and he sounded worried, something in his voice made her stomach drop, realising it had to be Holly "Is she okay Ollie?" She asked, as she switched on the lights and the tyres squealed as she ran the red light.  
"She's okay Gail, just get here" he said "No siren when your on approach" he added.

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Gail pulled the squad car up to the bridge, instantly she saw Holly's sedan sitting sideways on the bridge, the other cars front was smashed into the side of the doctors car, it looked like her lovers car got the worst of it "Gail" Oliver called when he saw her.  
She stopped the car and jumped out leaving the door open "She's been in a accident" She said gripping his arms "Where is she?" She said starting to panic "Where's my wife?"  
"Hey it's okay, she's over there" he said pointing to the bridge, there was a girl sitting next to her on the edge of the bridge, both of them were facing the road thankfully.  
"What the hell is going on?" She asked him, she still had a vice grip on his clothes, barely keeping herself from going into a full blown panic attack.  
"Holly was headed back to the lab after attending a scene, she saw the girl swerve towards the railing from the other side of the road, she was trying to kill herself and Holly turned in front her to stop her thinking it might have been a mechanical problem. The girl got out and started yelling and trying to jump off the bridge, she keeps trying to get up on the railing, every time she does the doc just pulls her back down next to her" he looked Gail in the eye "We've spoken to her, she's okay, a bit bruised but she's fine, she just talking to her trying to talk her down while we get someone close enough to grab her" Gail let go of Oliver with one hand and ran it through her hair. She only then remembered her rookie, she looked back and he was leaning on the edge of the squad car, she tried to take a few breaths to calm herself down but it didn't seem to be working "Gail, you've gotta calm down and take a few breaths" her ex TO said, he lead her to her car. The rookie opened the drivers side door and Oliver sat her in the car and squatted in front of her "Come on Darlin, you've gotta slow your breathing down, deep breaths okay, breathe with me" he said.  
"Shaw" one of the rescue workers called.  
He looked at the blonde and up at the rookie "Alright kid your up, you need to get your TO here out of her panic attack while we go keep her wife safe, she passes out or goes into.." He stopped remembering they hadn't told everyone about the baby yet "shock, her wife will take it out on your ass and trust me, you don't want that" he waved him over and Will knelt down in his place. Her fingers gripped his arm as she had on the older officer.  
"So, you aren't single then?" He asked, she gave him a look "Alright so your gonna breathe with me okay" he said, she looked over at the bridge "No Officer Shaw will look after her, right here, look me in the eye" he added getting her attention. Once he knew he had it, he started breathing with her.  
They sat breathing in and out in sync for a few minutes "Thank you" Gail said softly, once she was a bit calmer.  
"Anytime, my brother has PTSD from the army and he has lots of panic attacks" he explained "Are you feeling okay?"  
The blonde ran a shaky hand through her hair "I'll feel better when I can see Holly" she said her hand was fisted in the arm of his jacket.   
Will moved so he was sitting on the ground with his back against the open door "Tell me about her. How did you meet?"   
Gail let a small chuckle "At a crime scene" she said, she let go of her rookies jacket and flexed her hand "I was watching the perimeter, she ducked under the tape and I told her she wasn't allowed in" she noticed he didn't understand "She's a Senior Forensic Pathologist, she works for the city" she explained.  
"Wait, so your wife is the one who helped break the Allen Serial case, that means that you're..." He trailed off.  
"Gail Stewart" she said holding out her hand for him to shake, he took it "I was Peck when we caught him"  
"You saved that girl because you recognised him" he said as he shook her hand.  
She pulled her hand back "Yea and I got run over for my trouble" She said "How do you know so much?"  
"At the academy they used it as an example of how important forensics is to a case and that its vital to keep a crime scene preserved until it's properly inspected by the lab" he explained "Wow so the cop who caught a serial killer is my TO and the doctor who helped is her wife" he shook his head.  
The blonde watched him for a second, she felt she needed to inform him that her being his TO was going to be temporary "There is something I should tell you, in about 16 weeks I'll be on a desk or possibly on leave" she said "so you'll get another TO after that" He frowned at her "I'm about 9 weeks pregnant"   
Will smiled at her "Congratulations, now I get why Officer Shaw was so worried about you"  
"I'll make a deal with you ok, you say nothing about my almost panic attack, me being nice to you or me being pregnant and I'll introduce you to my wife and get her to go over the details of the case with you" Gail said.  
He smiled "You are feared amongst the rookies and half 15 from what I've heard" he said "Deal" he said holding his hand out for her to shake.  
"Hey" a weary voice interrupted them.  
The blonde ignored her rookie, she stood and walked over to her wife who threw herself into Gail's arms "Hol" she said softly into her neck "Are you alright?" She asked pulling her back so she could look at her.  
"I'm a bit shaken up, bruised, maybe a concussion" she said brushing her hand over a lump on her forehead.  
The blonde took her face in her hands "I was so..." Her voice broke and the tears flowed.  
"I know, I know" Holly said as she started cry too.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They took Holly's statement then her and the girl to the hospital, the brunette was discharged with a few bruises from her seatbelt and a bump to the head and the young girl had been placed under a 72 hour lockdown so they could assess her. Holly's car had been towed to the wrecking yard as it was beyond fixing. The brunette had been quiet the whole time. When the couple got home, Matt was cooking in the kitchen as soon as they opened the door her stuck his head into the entry "How are you feeling?" He asked, the blonde had called him from the hospital.  
"Tired and sore" Holly said as she put her bags on the floor and dropped her coat on top "I'm gonna go shower" she said to Gail and headed up the stairs.  
After she went her brother turned to the blonde "Is she okay?" He asked.  
"Physically, she's got some bruises and a bump to the head, maybe a very slight concussion" Gail sighed as she picked up the bags and coat that had been dumped on the floor "Psychologically.. I'm not really sure, she hasn't said much after her statement, I offered to put off dinner tonight but she wants to have it. Oh and they're making her take two full days off because of the possible concussion" she put Holly's things in the office. She reappeared "I'm gonna...." She pointed up the stairs.  
He nodded "I've got about an hours more prep work, you've got till then and I can stop Dinner, otherwise you two will be taking it for lunch for the next two weeks"  
"Noted" the blonde said. She found Holly standing looking out the window at the small, snow covered yard they had, she walked up behind her and moved in close enough that their bodies were touching, not wanting to overwhelm her wife "Matt said we need to let him know within an hour if we wanna cancel tonight" she said.  
"'No I need the distraction" she said as she reached back and took Gail's hands and pulled them around her waist.  
The silence stretched out between them until the blonde spoke "I'm sorry I broke down earlier, it wasn't about me" she said tightening her hold on her wife "When I saw the car I freaked out, I thought maybe..." She stopped not wanting to say it out loud.  
"I know sweetheart, don't apologise please. I made a split second decision that in hindsight could have gone very wrong and left our baby with only one of its mothers" the doctor took a shuddering breath "That girl she was trying to drive off a bridge because of a fucking boy. Because this boy dumped her, she almost died. If I hadn't... She might have" Gail knew she was crying she could feel it, she didn't move, she didn't want to change anything while Holly was talking "I could have died cos of a fucking boy" she spat out. The brunette turned in her arms "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have... I ...." She sobbed.  
The blonde didn't speak, she tugged her towards the bed and they laid across it together, just holding each other. Thanking God they still could.

0-0-0-0-0-0

About half an hour later, Holly was more settled and more like herself. Gail was on her back with the doctors head on her chest. The brunettes hand was currently resting over her lower abdomen, she suddenly undid the officers belt and uniform pants and tugged her shirt free "What are you up to?" She asked lifting her head up but she couldn't see past Holly's head.  
"I think it's grown" she said as she rested her hand over Gail's now exposed lower belly "It's just not quite as flat as it was" she moved her head out of the way and ran her hand over the very slight bump.  
The blonde looked then looked at her wife "Thanks for pointing that out" she said with a pout. The brunette smiled the first genuine smile she'd given Gail since the bridge, the blonde smiled back, she moved the other woman off her, she moved over her, pushed her into her back and straddled her hips "How about you and I jump in and have a nice hot bath before dinner?" She suggested.  
"Sounds good" Holly said, she picked up Gail's hands and linked their fingers "I love you" she said and tugged the blonde down and kissed her.  
"I love you too" Gail managed to get out between kisses.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Within an hour the couple appeared downstairs, slightly dressed up for dinner. Both were wearing black slacks with different coloured button ups. Holly had a jacket on as it was still pretty cold even though it was Spring. Gail hadn't bothered and her buttons were undone with a camisole underneath since becoming pregnant she'd become very warm. It was like the baby was her own personal heater. Rachel had explained that it was normal. Chris was already there, wearing a suit and watching Matt as he cooked "Hey" he said when he saw them "How you feeling Holly?" He asked.  
"I'm okay, tired, sore, emotional. You know, feeling crappy" she joked.  
He nodded "I know the feeling well" he said and had a sip of the soda in front of him.  
Matt came and stood in front of Chris "We've got about an hour until the entrees are ready" he glanced up at the clock "And everyone else is due here around then"  
"I did tell you my mother runs at least thirty minutes early if not more to everything" Gail pointed out as she stepped into the kitchen "Coke?" She asked her wife.  
"Please" she answered "I told him about ten times and I'm sure Chris told him too" Holly said "They'll wait for food" she pointed out as the blonde grabbed two cans from the fridge, her wife's coke and lemonade for herself.  
"So are you telling them about you and Chris tonight?" Gail asked as she put the cans on the bench.  
Matt shrugged "He's here for dinner so yea, I've always been freaked out about coming out but I know I need to for us as well as myself" Matt said, smiling, reaching over and touching his boyfriends hand. He smiled back at him.  
Gail's cellphone rang and, she tugged it from her pocket "Hey Frank, what's up?" She asked when she answered it.  
"I actually need to speak to Holly but I couldn't reach her cell" he said.  
The blonde got up and went outside on the front porch without speaking to the others "It's turned off, she's..."  
"The parents of the girl want to thank her for saving their daughter" he said interrupting her.  
"I'll talk to her" Gail said "But not tonight, we're having a family dinner and she needs some time Frank, she risked a lot to save her"  
"I know" he said "Sometimes you act before you think you have a wife and a baby on the way"   
"I'll talk to her in the morning, I'll let you know what she says when I come on shift tomorrow"  
"Thanks Gail" he said.  
"Have a good night" he said.  
She ended the call, went to turn and saw Holly standing in the doorway "So what do you need to talk to me about?" She asked.  
Her wife sighed and turned her phone over on her hands "The girls parents want to thank you girl saving their daughter" she said, she knew if she didn't just straight up tell her that the brunette would keep pushing until she did.  
"Oh..... really?" Holly asked shifting uncomfortably.  
Gail slipped her phone in her pocket then moved over and took both of the brunettes hands "Not until you're ready and if you're never ready that's okay too" she said.  
Holly tugged her in close "You came out here to stop me hearing so I wouldn't feel I had to anything he asked didn't you?" She asked.  
The blonde let her hands go and wrapped her arms around the brunette "Ever since we've been together you've spent a lot of time looking after me. When I was sick, got run over, my PTSD, my hand after punching out your brother in law and now the morning sickness" she leant her forehead on the brunettes "I think it's time I looked after you"  
Holly smiled "I love you Gail, that's why I look after you. I think it's sweet you want to take care of me. You have looked after me though, that concussion I had after the incident at the morgue" she gave her a kiss "We look after each other" she went to kiss her again but a car pulled into the driveway.  
The blonde glanced back "Elaine Peck, the moment ruiner" she said, she gave her wife one last kiss then released her and went to greet her parents.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Once both sets of parents had arrived, they all moved into the dining room and Matt served the entree "Now I have this overwhelming feeling we've been bought here for some sort of announcement" Wendy said to Elaine "the last time we were together it was for the wedding"  
Holly looked to Gail who gave her a smile and a wink "Well yes you've caught us, Gail's pregnant, she's about 9 weeks along" she said happily as she reached out for the blondes hand. Conversation erupted around them wanting details. The couple just smiled at each other and waited until they stopped "The baby is due on the 10th of October, she's 9 weeks on Wednesday and we didn't get an anonymous donor, Matt and Steve were more than willing to help so Matt is our donor this time" she explained and smiled at her brother.   
Once their entree was done Matt got up and started picking up plates, Gail got up and helped him "I can start the conversation if you like" she offered.  
Her brother in law shook his head "I'll do it, I just didn't want to say anything just after your announcement" he said as he started plating up the main course.  
Gail went to go back into the dining room when Wendy was coming in, the older woman grabbed the officer and hugged her "You know, I thought it would be Holly but I guess with her new promotion it makes sense" she released her.  
Gail gave her a smile "Holly's turn next time, trust me" she told her and headed into the other room.  
"How's life?" Wendy asked leaning on the bench as she watched her son moving around the room.  
"Great, actually, the restaurant is doing well, I'm moving into my own place, everything's great" he said.  
"Chris is around a lot, he seems like a really sweet guy" she said, prompting him. He glanced at her but didn't speak "I know, Matt" she said "I know your gay and I know your in love with him" she said.  
He looked at her, his mouth opened then closed "Did Holly..." He started, once he found his voice.  
"Matt, honey, I know you, I know things got screwed up for a while and Holly was the one to pull you out of the fire. I should have done more" his mother said "She never said anything about Chris, he was around at Christmas and I saw you dance with him at Holly's wedding, somewhere between those times you two decided not to fight it anymore" she said "You're gay honey, so is your sister by the way" she added, making him smile a little "And that's okay with me and your Dad"  
Matt moved over and hugged her "Thank you" he said, his voice cracking. 

0-0-0-0-0-0

Dinner was pretty uneventful after that, thankfully the two sets of parents got on well. They'd all been contacted about what happened on the bridge and they all had the class not to bring it up. After dessert and a cup of coffee they headed out claiming to need rest. Once everything was clean and the washing up was done, Matt left, with Chris in tow, to check on the restaurant and Gail was already yawning halfway through dinner so they headed to bed fairly quickly and went to sleep soon after. About 3 am Gail woke up to use the bathroom and realised her wife wasn't next to her, or in Holly's case, wrapped around her. No matter what, every night, the brunette would sleep with some part of her touching the blonde. Gail got up, went to the toilet, then quietly went down stairs. She found Holly sitting on the couch, her laptop on the coffee table in front of her and papers spread everywhere, one she was holding and reading. The blonde walked over and stood next to where she was sitting "Baby, what are you doing?" She asked.  
Holly jumped and looked up at her, her glasses were slightly askew "I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd get some work done" she said reaching out and wrapping her arm around Gail's waist. She tugged her down so she was sitting on the arm of the chair "Why are you up?" She asked as she dropped the paper onto the file on the couch next to her.  
"I needed to pee, baby feels like some ice cream and I was lonely" the blonde explained as she put her arm around the brunettes shoulders.  
"How about we both have a couple of scoops of the vanilla left over from Saturday's late night cravings then we go back to bed and try to get some sleep. I might be on a couple of forced days off but you aren't" Holly said. She leaned forward and kissed Gail's stomach then got up. 

0-0-0-0-0-0

They took the bowls of ice cream upstairs and sat cross legged on the bed opposite each other, after a couple of minutes silence, Gail spoke "Do you want me to call Janine, make you or us an appointment or do you just wanna come to my one this week?" She asked, she didn't want Holly suffering because of someone else's actions.  
The brunette stopped eating and looked at the blonde, her head tilted "You think I need help?" She asked.  
Gail knew from her wife's tone that if she said anything wrong, Holly was gonna take all of what she was feeling out on her right now "No, but I'm just thinking you might want to talk to her or just someone whose away from it, about what happened. You don't have to though, I'm just offering" she said, hoping it was the right thing.  
The brunette stirred her bowl for a few long seconds "Might be a good idea but I think I'll just come with you Thursday morning" she answered and had a mouthful of ice cream.  
The blonde breathed an internal sigh of relief "Did you have a nightmare, is that what woke you up?" She asked.  
"Not really, I dozed off for a while, then I had to go to the bathroom and the moment when I hit her car starting playing through my brain over and over. I have enough trouble shutting my mind off without that happening. I was going to read but I didn't want to disturb you, so I figured I'd go downstairs and do some work" she explained "I was sorting through some of the Allen case for court"  
"My rookie near burst we he found out it was us who caught him" she said remembering his reaction "I told him today if he kept my little panic attack to himself that I would talk to you about finding some time to show him some of the case. They're already teaching about some of it at the academy as an example of good forensic and police work" Gail explained as she ate the last of her ice cream.  
"Really?" Holly asked surprised "They at least usually wait until after the trial but then I'm sure they aren't giving too many details" she grinned at her wife "You know I love talking to anyone about forensics, bring him down for lunch one day when you can, I'll put a few things together while I'm off" she took both bowls and kissed her wife "I'll take this down, I won't be long"  
The blonde snuggled down in their bed, she was already dozing when the brunette slipped into bed behind her, moved so she was up against her "I love you, I'm sorry about today" she said as she wrapped her arm around her, resting her hand over her wife's lower abdomen and kissed her her shoulder.  
Gail linked her fingers with Holly's "Don't apologise. It's okay, you're okay, that's all that matters" she said and squeezed her hand "I love you too baby" she said sleepily.

 

0-0-0-0-0-0

 

The next morning, Holly pulled the car into the precinct parking lot to drop Gail off for work. They'd be sharing the blondes SUV until they got the insurance worked out from the accident, the brunette dropped her off so she had use of the car for the day. Gail leaned over and gave her a kiss, then grabbed the front of her jacket "Just take it easy okay, they are called days off for a reason. Don't work and don't help Matthew move either, he and Chris can handle it" she said still holding on "Or I'll sick your mother onto you" she added knowing that would make her behave.  
"Yes, Officer Stewart" Holly said with a grin.  
"I'll give you Officer Stewart" the blonde said smiling back and moved in kissing her more passionately.   
The brunettes hands fisted in the officers coat and pulled her closer, she let go with one hand and slipped it inside her jacket when there was a knock on the drivers side window, it was one of the new rookies. He took off at a run only to run into the shoulder of Gail's rookie, who purposely knocking him to the ground, the couple got out and heard Fox talking to the other guy as he got up "Do you have any idea who you just did that too?" He asked "That's Officer and Doctor Stewart, one Officer Stewart is not only a TO..." He didn't have to continue cos Oliver walked over and finished for him.  
"Her parents are big wigs in the department, her brother pretty much runs guns and gangs, she picked out then identified a serial killer from a photo. Her wife, Doctor Stewart, is the Senior Forensic Pathologist for the city and her work has made the water tight case against the same serial killer so if you wanna screw with them go ahead but out of anyone in this department, those, could not only fuck your career they both know exactly how and where to hide a body where it will never be found" he turned to them "Morning ladies" he said with a nod.  
"Morning" they said together.  
Gail waved Fox over as she walked around to Holly's side of the car "Officer Fox I'd like to introduce my wife Dr Stewart" she said when he got to them.  
"Holly, when I'm not at a scene or at the office" she said holding out her hand.  
"William, ummm well Will, it's an honour to meet you" he said "I've read all of your articles and books, I mean I'm..." The poor kid was getting flustered.  
Gail grinned at her wife who shook her head, she grabbed the blondes gear bag from her and handed it to the young man "It's nice to meet you too, thank you for looking after Gail yesterday. Would you mind carrying that in and Leaving it on her desk?"  
"Yes ma'am I mean, Holly or umm Dr Stewart" he stuttered out then left, bright red.  
The couple chuckled "He's sweet" Holly said "He's gonna drive you insane" she said as she tugged her against her with her coat.  
Gail shrugged "Maybe, but I can just enjoy giving him shit about the obvious crush he has on you" she said and slipped her hands inside her lovers coat.  
"It's a professional thing, he's blushing at that female rookie more" she said gesturing towards the door into 15 where he was holding the door open for a young red head.  
"Now that could be more fun" the blonde said watching, then looked back at her wife "I should go in, I'd rather not have desk duty until I have to" she said.  
The brunette pulled her in and held her tightly "Be careful, aside from the fact I can't live without you, you have extra precious cargo on board too" she said kissing her head.  
"I know" Gail said seriously "I mean it Hol, take it easy today" she said as she leaned back and looked at her face, she moved her hand up and brushed her fingers over the lump on her forehead that was starting to bruise.  
"I will I promise" she said and gave the blonde a kiss "Now go before you're late"  
"I'm going" Gail said and stepped away "I love you" she said.  
"I love you too" Holly said with a half smile and watched her go.  
Gail quickly changed and was headed to Parade when she was stopped by Frank "Peck" he said. She gave him a look "Stewart, sorry" he apologised "Did Holly..."  
The blonde cut him off "I talked to her, she knows, she will call when she's ready" she said a little annoyed.  
"Alright" he said "After you" he added gesturing to the door

0-0-0-0-0-0

Later in the afternoon after a fairly normal day patrolling, Gail and her rookie picked up someone for McNally and Diaz as they had attended a fight and needed help with transport, she'd left the rookie with him in booking and headed to the bathroom. On her way back she passed the young rookie who'd knocked on their window that morning, he looked at her and turned to the officer next to him as they went past each other, she heard the words 'dyke bitch' Before he knew what happened, she'd grabbed the back of his jacket and tossed him against the wall, landed against him, her arm on his throat "You wanna run that by me again?" She said. He shoved her back took a swing at her, she managed to duck it and in the processed turned him and pushed him face first into the wall, pushed against him with his arm pulled painfully up between them.  
The officer with him, his TO, stepped forward "I heard what he said and saw him swing at you, I'll back you if you want to report him" she glanced at the officer, really looking at him for the first time, it was someone Steve knew, Ben Richardson.  
"What the hell is going on here?" Frank said "You three my office, now" he said, when Gail didn't release him straight away, just stared at the back of the head of the younger man, he added "Stewart, let him go or I'll suspend you without giving you a chance to explain"  
The blonde didn't say a word, just let him go and headed to the staff sergeants office "What the fuck?" The rookie said to Steve's friend "You coulda backed me, you know bros before ho's"  
Ben looked at him "Be thankful her brother didn't hear you call her either of those things" he said as he grabbed his arm and shoved him towards Frank's office. Even though the door was closed and the other two officers were inside, he knocked and opened it "Before you even consider reprimanding or punishing Gail, as we passed her in the hallway, Officer Watson turned to me and whispered loudly 'Look it's a stupid dyke bitch' he said it loud enough for her to hear and if I'd had a chance to react I probably would have done the same thing, he also took a swing at her once she bailed him up the first time" he said.  
Frank had known Officer Richardson for a long time and knew he wasn't lying, he sat forward and pointed at Gail "Sit" he pointed to the rookie "You get out, wait outside and Richardson, thanks" he said the other man nodded and left closing the door behind him. The Staff Sargent looked at the blonde now sitting opposite him "You know I'll have to reprimand you for using violence against a fellow officer, things would be a lot easier if you hadn't touched him" he picked up the phone and dialled a number "Hey Krystal, yea I have and incident between a rookie and a TO, no it's not her rookie, yea thanks I'll give her a call too" he said and hung up, then picked it up again and dialled "Hey Jess, Frank from down stairs, I've got a slight incident I need you on, OK thanks" he said and hung up. He looked at the officers in front of him "SIU Detective Jess Parker will handle your case, Krystal's our new in house psych, she'll just talk to you, make sure it's nothing" he said.  
Gail knew it was all standard procedure "What about Fox?" She asked.  
"He can learn front desk this afternoon while we get this sorted" her boss said.  
"I'm sorry" she said, her head dropping forward "I just.... I reacted without thinking and I shouldn't have"   
"Gail, it's fine, you'll get a slap on the wrist, at best, he'll be transferred and go through months of counselling. If I'd heard him say that to you, I would have done the same thing" he stood up and walked around the desk "Best thing is we can always blame the pregnancy hormones" he added and the blonde couldn't help but smile a little.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Richardson was interviewed first, Gail called Holly and asked her to come down. Once word had spread of it through 15, the ex rookies were all there waiting with her "Don't you guys need to be on patrol?" Gail asked, her arms crossed as she leant on the wall outside the room that the interview was taking place.  
"Probably" Chris said from next to her.  
"We're where we should be" McNally said from his other side.  
"Hey" Holly said from the end of the hall.  
"Now you guys can go, I'm fine, Holly's here" she said, waving them all away "You'll find out soon what happens"  
They all grumbled but left, Gail went over to her and lead her to a waiting room, closing the door behind them "So, what's this about?" She asked after they'd sat down, her wife had been a little short on the details.  
"That little asshole that my rookie stopped after he knocked on the window this morning decided to call me a dyke bitch to his TO as he passed me in the hallway so I threw him against a wall and held my arm on his throat"  
"Gail" she said tilting her head to the side "I don't like it when people call me a dyke either but you can't physically assault them"  
"Luckily his TO is a friend of Steve's and he's a good cop, he said he supports my story" the blonde explained "Really Hol, I don't know what came over me, one second I heard him say it, next second my arm is against his throat" she said and dropped her head into her hands.  
The doctor rubbed her back "Your hormones might have played a part, they can give you a short fuse. Your PTSD probably doesn't help either" she explained "It's understandable though, I feel like punching the guy at the moment"  
Suddenly the door to the room opened with a bang, it was Steve, obviously word had reached him "Where is the little prick?" He asked "They said he took a swing at you"  
"What, you didn't tell me that?" Holly said and stood "I'll kill him" she said and went to leave.   
Steve grabbed her on her way past "No you won't"  
She relaxed a little "At least I can make it look like an accident" she said to him.  
"My sister loves you too much for you to end up in jail over this bigoted ass" he said "Let SIU deal with it" he said.  
"Says you" Holly said and went back to her wife's side.  
Steve sat on the arm of the chair near his sister in law "Did Frank say what he thinks they'd do with you?"  
"He said he thinks I'll get a slap on the wrist probably because of what he said. We're suppose to stop bullying to do with sexuality, gender and race and he used what is considered a slur, if I wanted to we could probably sue the department or the city. If I hadn't grabbed him that is" Gail explained.  
"He should be happy you didn't just knock him out" Holly grumbled, the blonde reached over and took her hand.  
They were interrupted by the departments psychologist "Gail, can we have a talk?"  
"Yea but Holly can stay" the officer said.  
"Come see me after you talk to SIU" her brother said and left.  
"I really need to speak to you alone" Krystal said "I'm sorry it's standard procedure"  
"I don't have to stay" the brunette said, she kissed Gail's cheek "I'll go get some coffee and something for you to eat" she said and also left, closing the door behind her. Her wife watched her leave and kept looking at the door after she was gone.  
The psychologist watched the blonde for a few seconds "Your partner?" She asked, trying to get her attention.  
"My wife" Gail corrected, turning back to the woman in front of her "Why can't I do this with my psychiatrist?" She asked impatiently.  
The young woman flicked through the file in her hand "Oh right you've been suffering with PTSD" she said, then figured she should be honest "I'm sorry but you'll need to do this with me, I've been requested to give you an assessment today to submit to SIU"  
Gail was going to give her hell but since this went to SIU and she really didn't want to be suspended considering she was taking time off with the baby, she decided she should cooperate "Alright, what would you like to know?" She asked.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly followed Gail into the Penny "Half an hour then we're going home" she said.  
"I don't wanna be here either, but it Oliver's night and if we don't show up for at least one drink, I'll never here the end of it" The blonde said, taking the brunettes hand and linking their fingers.  
It it was Friday, it had been over a week since the incident with the rookie, who had been suspended and transferred. Gail was only given a slap over the wrist and a warning, much like Frank had predicted. A big reason no action was taken against the blonde officer was it was meant as homophobic slur. When SIU spoke to the man he ranted on about how the gays were ruining the world. They'd suspended him and transferred him, he would undergo intensive counselling and be closely monitored, if there was one more incident he would be thrown off the force. They'd both been invited to Oliver's Batchelor party, neither had wanted to go but neither could say no to him. He wasn't getting married for a few weeks and the couple had decided to elope. Sam, Andy, Holly and Gail were asked to attended the Niagara wedding in a few weekends time so the women weren't worried about staying for too long tonight "Hey there's my favourite crime fighting couple" Oliver said drunkenly as he stood to cuddle both Gail and Holly, once they'd reached the table he was at. He didn't notice the looks he got from the other police couples at the table "No little follower tonight" he said to the blonde with a wink.  
Gail rolled her eyes, ever since he'd found out they'd been the ones who caught a serial killer he'd been following her worse than a normal rookie would "Just the one that's gonna be with me for another 6 months or so" she said, her hand on her belly.  
He handed the brunette a glass of beer and the blonde a glass of lemonade "Have a seat we've got some food coming" he said pointing to some empty seats.  
They shared a look then moved to the empty seats "Hey" Chloe said as they sat.  
Gail sighed and closed her eyes, Holly slid her hand onto her thigh, she leaned in so she could whisper in her ear "Be nice" she said and kissed her ear, then dropped another kiss on her neck.  
The blonde shuddered as her wife's hand drifted down to the seam of her jeans. She gave her a sideways look, the brunette gave her a wink and started talking to Sam, her hand still moving up and down her leg "So when's your next appointment for the baby?" Chloe asked.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They'd been at the Penny for over an hour, Holly'd had a few drinks and was playing pool with Gail against Sam and Andy. It was the blondes shot and she couldn't help but watch her wife bend over to take it said shot, when a young man walked over, stood behind Gail and between the blocking her view "Really?" The brunette muttered to herself. Holly moved over there as the blonde took her shot and stood up, coming into contact with a strange body "I'll tell you once to fuck off, then I'll make you" the brunette said from behind him.  
"I think it's up to your friend to tell me that" he said without looking at her and put his hands on the blondes hips.  
"Big mistake" Sam said in a sing song voice from the other side of the table.  
Gail turned around and looked at the man "You want to or should I?" She asked.  
"Oh please let me" Holly said, she grabbed his thumb and pulled his arm up behind his back, twisting his wrist. A move Gail had shown her after the incident at the lab. He yelled out in pain, The blonde stepped aside so she could pushed him against the pool table "You keep your fucking hands to yourself and off my pregnant wife. When I let you go, you are going to get the fuck out of here, you speak to anyone or go anywhere but out the front door and the lovely officers across the table from us" he looked up and Sam waved and smiled at him "Will arrest you for sexual harassment, are we clear?" She asked.  
He didn't answer straight away so she tugged harder on his arm "Crystal" he said, grunting in pain.  
She released him and he took off like a shot, straight out the door. Gail moved over and grabbed Holly by the lapels of her jacket "We gotta go" she said to anyone who was listening. She walked backwards for a few steps then took the brunettes hand and led her weaving through the crowd. Once out the front, she dragged her wife to her car "Get in" she said.  
"Gail..." The slightly drunk, slightly confused doctor started, she was wondering if she was in trouble.  
"Seatbelt" the blonde said, cutting her off, as she backed the car out and took off down the road. Gail didn't speak the whole way home, just shifted in her seat and concentrated on the road, when she pulled in their driveway 20 minutes later, she broke the silence "Turn your cell phone off" she said as she climbed out.  
"Gail" Holly said as she pulled her phone out and did as she was told "What's going on?" She asked as she got out and followed her up the steps.  
The blonde opened the door, let her wife in and closed and locked it, she leaned in close to Holly "I'm gonna go, have a quick shower, when I come to bed, your gonna fuck me with our little toy" she whispered and took off up the stairs. It took at least a full minute and until the shower started upstairs for Gail's words to sink into the brunettes inebriated brain but the second they did, Holly grinned then quickly ran up the stairs two at a time.

0-0-0-0-0-0 

Holly sat in the bed in her underwear, she'd grabbed the toy from the closet, it was sitting next to her on the bed. After they had been interrupted by Matt and Chris's presence the day they'd bought it, Gail had shown no more interest in it, but then they'd had a few things going on since then. She was a little blown away at her wife's sudden insistence to use it. But then her slightly inebriated brain wasn't exactly being cooperative with thinking about anything at the moment.  
"Hey beautiful" Gail said as she stood in the doorway of the ensuite, in a towel, her short hair was spiked up because she'd dried it with a towel.  
"So why the sudden need for this?' She asked from the bed.  
"Watching you grab that guy just...." She drifted off into the memory of her wife being forceful with the man who had been hitting on her, she grinned at Holly "And that, well I don't really know, the idea of it just..."  
The brunette got up and walked over to her "It's okay to tell me you're just really horny sweetheart, it's a natural part of pregnancy, you're not puking much anymore so you're feeling better" She said tugging her against her by her hips "Plus your hormones are supercharged, being turned on is a part of that" she raised one eyebrow and started pulling her towel down "Why shouldn't we take advantage of it before the little one arrives?"  
Gail smirked at Holly "My thoughts exactly and now we have the whole house to ourselves again, we can do what we want when we want" she said as her towel slid down her body, to the floor "Where we want" she said as she reached for her lover.  
Holly knelt down in front of her and kissed her slightly rounded belly. She looked up at her wife and saw the love pouring out her eyes "I love you" she said softly and kissed her belly again.  
The blonde ran her fingers through the brunettes long hair "I love you too, very much"  
Holly ran her fingers slowly up the back of Gail's legs, brushing lightly against her skin. When she came to the rounded swell of her ass she rested both hands against it as she ducked her head and kissed the blonde again, this time against her recently waxed mound. Gail shuddered, her legs feeling like jelly "You wanna move to the bed?" Holly asked as she ran her fingers down the back of her wife's thighs again. The blonde looked down at the brunette and nodded, unable to form the words. Holly stood and led her to the bed. Gail sat on the edge, the brunette she could see how nervous she was "Don't be nervous" the doctor reassured her "Would getting into bed help?" She asked as she stood in front of the blonde running her fingers through her lovers short blonde hair.  
"Yea I think so" she said. As Gail climbed in, Holly took off her bra and panties then slipped in beside her, she laid on her back, grabbed the toy and situated it so her part was inside her.   
She gasped as she did. The blonde watched from beside her, Holly turned in her side and pulled Gail's head to her and kissed her. The second their lips met the blondes nerves melted away and she got lost in it. Holly's hand went straight to Gail's breast, she brushed her fingers over her already pert nipples "I think they're bigger" she said as she ducked her head down to take a nipple in her mouth.  
"Fuck" the blonde cursed at the sensation "They are and more sensitive, I need new bras" she groaned out.  
Holly released her nipple with a pop "We'll go shopping tomorrow before your night shift" her fingers rubbed the neglected nipple while her mouth went back to the one she'd already teased.  
"God, Hol, I need you" she moaned as she held onto the brunettes hair.  
Holly's hand left be breast and slid down her abdomen, she teased her a little just touching her damp folds. When the hand in her hair went from caressing to pulling, she slipped her fingers inside the folds instantly feeling the hot wetness already pooling there, she released the nipple with a pop and moved up so she could see Gail's face "You're so wet baby" she said as she ran her fingers over her folds until she reached her clit, she circled her finger around the bundle of nerves.  
The blonde shuddered "Please" she said.  
Holly could hear the desperation in her tone, she ran her hand through her hair "You ready honey?" She asked "Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I want you baby please" she begged.  
"Let's take this slowly" she moved over the top of her, they could both feel the dildo resting between them. Holly lifted herself and guided it just inside her. Impatient, Gail wrapped her legs around her and strongly pulled her closer, causing the doctor to lose her balance on her knees and drop back onto her, making her sink deep inside her. They both grunted not expecting it "You okay?" The brunette asked as she quickly lifted her head up so she could see her eyes, which were closed. She kissed her softly "Sweetheart, are you okay?" She asked again as she rested on one hand and ran her fingers through Gail's hair with her other hand, she didn't want to move too much, afraid of hurting her.  
The blonde nodded as she opened her eyes "I didn't quite mean for that to happen" she said, her voice a little strained. The brunette accidentally moved her hips back a little pulling out a bit, causing her to gasp "You're right, a little slower than that" the officer said with a slight smile.  
Holly chuckled and rested her chest back against Gail's, she continued running her fingers through her wife's short hair, knowing it would help her relax. She kissed her nose "Relax, just let me have control for once" she teased.  
The blonde gave her a look, Holly moved her hips up more then gently pushed back inside her wiping the look away. Gail closed her eyes, her head fell back on the pillow and she nodded "Keep going" she said. Now her body had adjusted she was ready. The brunette slowly started thrusting "Oh Hol" the blonde moaned out, her legs were wrapped around her wife.  
"You alright?" Holly asked, slightly short of breath.  
"I'm good" Gail said, she ran her hands up and down the straining muscles of her lovers back "I am so fucking good" she moaned out when the brunette thrust a bit deeper. Holly was still going slowly driving the blonde crazy "Hol" she moaned.  
"Yea?" The doctor asked, as she panted in Gail's ear.  
"Fuck me, please, faster, harder" she said, the desperation evident in her tone.  
"Hold on" Holly said and thrust harder and faster.  
The blonde wasn't going to last long "Oh Hol" she moaned "I'm almost..."  
The brunette lifted her head "Look at me, I wanna see your eyes" she said and waited until her wife's eyes met her own "Let go" she said "Cum for me" the words pushed her over the edge. Gail's back arched as Holly kept moving inside of her, she chanted her lovers name as she shook and shuddered. Holly slowed down then rolled them over without losing contact. The blonde laid against her for a few seconds. The brunettes hips kept moving uncontrollably as she was still very worked up.  
Gail looked up from Holly's chest "That was nice" she said.  
The brunette raised an eyebrow "Nice? Do I need to roll you over and try again" she asked.  
The blonde gave her a smile "No, my turn" she said and sat up, pushing the dildo deeper inside of her and applying the right pressure for Holly. They both groaned. The brunettes hands moved from Gail's hips, they slipped over her slightly rounded belly then up to her breasts "Mmm" the blonde moaned as Holly took her nipples between her fingers and rolled her fingers over them tugging on them slightly. Gail took the brunettes hands in hers and linked their fingers. She started moving up and down riding Holly.  
"You are so beautiful" the brunettes said as she watched her move.  
"So are you baby" the blonde said, she tugged on her hands "Come up here" she said.  
Holly sat up and wrapped her arms around Gail as the officers arms went around her neck "God I love you" she murmured into her shoulder. She placed open mouthed kisses over her neck and shoulder as the blondes hips moved faster against her.  
"I love you too" Gail said, she tugged her wife's head up and kissed her passionately, dominating and directing the kiss "I'm close" she said as she locked eyes with her. She tilted her hips back a little.  
"Fuck" Holly said with a shudder.  
"Like that" the blonde said as she moved again.  
"Yea like that" the brunette gasped.  
Gail picked up the pace, she wanted Holly with her this time "You close?" She asked.  
The brunette nodded, pulling the blonde close to her, she held onto her as her body stiffened as Gail rolled her hips around one last time driving them both over the peak "oh god" Holly gasped as she felt her walls constrict around the toy. The blonde was shaking above her as they both called out. Gail sagged bonelessly against Holly, she managed to get off the toy and the brunette reach between then and pulled to out and away, then dropped it on the floor beside the bed. She crossed her legs under the blonde to offer her more support "You doing okay there?" She asked.  
Gail was still breathing hard "Yea" she sighed.  
Holly grabbed the back of her short hair "Do you feel better?" She asked once their eyes met.  
"Very much so, but I'd much rather feel your fingers or your tongue" she said as she brushed the brunettes long hair back "It was fun though"  
"It was, maybe next time your in the mood you can take the lead" Holly said, she released the blondes hair and kissed her softly "You tired?" She asked as she pulled away a little, she'd noticed how relaxed Gail was.  
"Hmmm" was all she got back.  
The brunette laid back taking the blonde with her. She rolled Gail onto her back when she went to move away the blonde gripped her and said "Don't go"  
"I'm not going anywhere, just to the bathroom" Holly answered.  
The blonde released her and the brunette stood up, grabbed the strap on, cleaned it and put it away. She had a quick shower then returned to bed. When she laid down, Gail instantly rolled into her arms, wrapping her own around Holly, she smiled kissed her on the head. She snuggled down with her and didn't take long to fall asleep with her.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail made her way into the house in front of Holly, they'd intended on only going out to get the blonde some new bras and to have a late lunch together before the blonde had to go in for her night shift.  
They'd ended up spending most of the day buying her a completely new wardrobe, making allowances for future baby expansion, and stuff for the nursery they were planning on setting up in the spare room on the second floor of the house. They'd grabbed what ended up more like an early dinner on their way home "I've only got an hour before I have to leave, I'll grab a quick shower before I eat" the blonde said and carried the bags she had in her hands upstairs with her.  
"I'll dish this up" the brunette said gesturing to the bag of food.  
Holly moved around the kitchen, due to her promotion she now had most weekends off. While Gail had been suffering with morning sickness, Frank had been keeping her on days and giving her weekends off just because she was consistently tired from vomiting but now she was feeling better he had to be fair and give her some nights. Also her rookie needed some night experience as well so this was the first time their hours hadn't met up. The brunette was almost finished dishing up when her cell phone rang, she looked at the call ID then answered "Hi Henry, what up?" she asked her boss as she threw the last Thai container in the bin.  
"Holly sorry to disturb your weekend, is it possible for you to be on call?" He asked "Davidson has called in saying he's sick and can't be on call tonight, I'll make sure he has the next three weekends on call if you do"  
The brunette smiled to herself "I can do that" she said as she grabbed them some cutlery.   
"I'm sorry Hol, once we get another pathologist and the interns going you'll have more freedom"  
"It's fine" she said "Put me down to do it, Gail's working tonight anyway"  
"Alright, thank you I'll get onto Davidson about giving us more notice" Henry said "thanks again"  
"Stop saying thank you, your paying me to do it" she pointed out.  
"That's true" He agreed.  
They said their good byes, Holly was sitting at the bench when Gail reappeared freshly showered and in her uniform "I'm gonna have to ask Frank to order me new uniforms" she said as she tried to tug the bottom of her shirt together. They'd bought waist extenders for her pants that afternoon so she could still do them up, she was frowning in frustration.  
The brunette smiled lovingly at her as she watched her "I think you look beautiful" she said as reached out for her hand "I'm sorry I dragged you around today, I probably should have let you get some more sleep"  
The blonde moved over, stood between her legs and linked their hands "it was my idea to look for stuff for the little one" she said.  
Holly moved one of their joined hands to Gail's belly, she dropped her wife's hand and slipped her own into the blondes open shirt "I can't wait till he or she moves"  
Gail released her other hand and rested both of hers on her wife's cheeks "I love you" she said and kissed her softly.  
"I love you too" Holly said looking up into her eyes when the kiss ended "You should eat before you run out of time" she said stroking her fingers over the slightly rounded skin of the blondes abdomen.  
Gail gave her another quick kiss then moved away "Who was on the phone?" She said as she sat down next to the brunette.  
Holly turned back to the bench "Henry, I'm on call tonight" she said as she picked up her fork.  
"So you'll be dropping me at work then?" Gail said, she picked up her fork with one hand, other one rested on the brunettes thigh.   
Since they'd woken up this morning the blonde had been very hands on with her wife, Holy wasn't sure why but she wasn't going to complain "Yea I'll have to sorry"  
Gail shrugged and gave her thigh a squeeze "That's okay, it's not like I'll be needing it while I'm at work and I'll get Chris to drop me off in the morning cos he's on tonight too"  
"I'll pick you up if I'm already up with a call" The brunette said "How is Chris? I kinda miss him hanging around"  
"He's good, as you know he's moving in with Matt, Dov is jealous but he's trying to be a grown up about it" the blonde explained.  
They continued chatting about the people at the station until it was time for them to go.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Later on that night Gail and Fox were heading into a building on a rougher side of town. Knowing that some of the people in these old apartments weren't exactly the nicest, the blonde was walking with her baton out and her hand on her gun. There had been an anonymous disturbance call from nearby giving this address, Gail checked the number on the door "405, this is it" she said. She knocked on the door, as she did it opened like it hadn't been closed. Wary, the blonde put her baton away and grabbed out her gun, she turned to her rookie "I'll go right, you go left. As soon as you clear a room, call it out" she whispered, she trusted him to have her back, she was just a little worried as this was the first time they were heading into a potentially dangerous situation together "You ready?" She asked him.  
He nodded at her, tugging his gun from its holster.  
"It's the Toronto Police, answer, or we'll be coming in" she called out loudly. A silence stretched out "Toronto Police we're coming in" she said and pushed the door open, a bad smell hit them as the door opened, Gail went to the right, the apartment was filthy, the older officer thought at first it was possibly the source of the stench. They quickly cleared the apartment, but unfortunately found a body on the bed in what looked like the spare room, it was definitely the source of the smell "15-07 to dispatch, we need forensics and homicide on scene for a body" she said looking at it.  
"Why would someone do that, Boss?" Fox asked.  
"I don't know" The blonde said as she holstered her weapon.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Half an hour later, a bit after 1 am, Gail was standing just outside the apartment door when Traci came in, Chris and Fox were outside interviewing the neighbours "Holly here yet?" The detective asked.  
"Dr Stewart's on her way up" Will said through the crackling radio as if he'd heard her ask.  
Traci smiled "You have him well trained" she said "Direct me to the body and I'll leave you to wait for the Doc"   
"It's okay" Gail said and she led her into the bedroom.  
"Oh my god" the detective said upon seeing the scene. The body was tied to the bed and had been stabbed multiple times and shot in the head, grey matter was covering the bedhead. The person had been there for at least a few days, the stench was unbelievable "How are you handling that smell?" She asked "With the way your morning sickness was I'm surprised you're standing here without losing your dinner"  
The blonde shrugged "I have no idea why I can handle this and not bacon. Maybe I've spent too much time in the morgue, Chris on the other hand couldn't handle it" she said with a chuckle.  
"This place is gonna take forever to go through, any initial thoughts since you were first on scene?" The detective asked as she glanced around.  
"Given the state of the apartment I would say the neighbours must be use to a bad smell coming from here because they only reported a disturbance not the fact there was a body in here. It could be gang or drug related, maybe they succeeded in killing him but didn't quite finish the job, whoever did it, came back tonight to get something"  
Traci nodded "I'll talk to Steve, see if it's possible"  
"He smells fresh" Holly said as she came in behind Gail.  
The blonde turned and gave her a kiss "It smelt worse when we first came in"  
Holly moved over next to the body "He's been here at least three days, I could give you a more accurate assessment when we get back to the lab" she looked at his hands "broken fingers.." she said.  
"That's usually gang related" Traci said as she started to leave the room "I'll call Steve down here to have a look" she said and left.  
"Busy night?" Holly asked Gail as she set about her initial examination.  
"Just your regular drunks and speeders mainly, this was new though" she said pointing to the body "Did you get any sleep before this call out?" The blonde asked.  
"I got into bed then I got a call for a suicide and I was just getting back to the lab when the call came through for this case" the brunette said as she took a few samples.  
"Dr Stewart" the forensic photographer was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, the rest of the team behind him.  
"Alright, so we need samples of everything" the group groaned "Hey" she barked at them "I know it's a mess, but you know why it has to be done. Inform Detective Nash when you're done before you move the body to see if she needs anything else, I need to get back to that suicide" She said to them. Holly pulled off her gloves and came across the room to Gail "It definitely could be gang related, I'm fairly certain the head wound killed him, even though some of the of the stab wounds do look fatal" she said, the blonde quickly wrote down the notes "You finish at 6 don't you?" She asked.  
"As long as all goes well, yea I should, you think you'll still be dealing with the bodies?" Gail, asked.  
"The first one is pretty straight forward and if I'm not done with this one by the time I'm off call, Henry will get someone in to finish it" the brunette said then looked around the room "Walk me to the car" she said.  
They walked to the car, as they passed Traci, she let them know that the case would probably be handed to Guns and Gangs by the morning. Which meant once the scene was cleared they'd be back on patrol.  
"What's up?" Gail asked as Holly put her kit in the back of the SUV.  
She closed the back doors "Nothing" she said with a smile as she pushed her against side of the car it blocking them from the others at the crime scene, the brunette kissed her softly, her wife relaxed into her arms.  
"Mmmmm" Gail murmured "Is that what you wanted?" She asked as her hands came up to Holly's face.  
"I missed you tonight, I don't think I would have slept without you" the doctor admitted, she wrapped one arm around the officer, she bought her other hand up and ran her thumb over her bottom lip.  
"I missed you too" Gail said as she tugged Holly's head against her own.  
"So I'll pick you up at 6 then we're having breakfast together" the brunette informed her.  
"Sounds good" the blonde said.  
As she went to kiss her again, a voice called out "Officer Stewart" she recognised Will's voice straight away.  
"I better go" Gail said  
"Yea okay, be careful sweetheart" the brunette said.   
"Always" the blonde said and gave Holly a quick passionate kiss and left her panting holding onto their SUV.  
"See you in the morning Officer Stewart" The brunette called out, the blonde turned, she gave her a wink and got in the car.

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After dealing with the murder scene and writing reports, Gail and her rookie headed back out on the road "Three more hours" Will said with a yawn and a stretch.  
"Three more days of this" the blonde pointed out.  
"Yea I'm not looking forward to that part" he admitted.  
"You get use to it, try doing it when you have a hitchhiker" she said patting her belly.  
Before he could speak, the radio crackled to life "15-07 there's a fight at "The George's" night club, can you respond?"  
Gail picked up the radio "15-07 we're about two streets away"  
Will looked around "How did you know that?"  
"I grew up playing "what street are we on" since I was old enough to read, I know this city like the back of my hand" she said as she flipped the siren and lights on.  
When they turned the corner where the night club was, they saw that it wasn't just a fight, it had spilled out onto the street and was becoming an all in brawl "We're gonna need help" Officer Fox muttered.  
"15-07 to dispatch requesting back up, the nightclub fight has become a brawl on the street" Gail said to the radio as she got out. Dispatch answered confirming back up should arrive within a couple of minutes "No gun, just use your baton and if you need to, your taser" The blonde said pulling out and flicking out her collapsible baton, she looked at him and they both made their way forward "Alright" Gail said as she moved into the crowd surrounding the fighting "Toronto Police, break it up or you'll be spending the night in jail" Gail said as she heard approaching sirens.  
Nobody seemed to listen, both the blonde and her rookie were pulling people apart and out of the brawl. Gail tugged the shoulder of a particularly large man, he turned and took a swing at her but being so drunk he was very slow, she managed to duck it and use the fact he was off balance to shove him away. She could hear Fox shouting threats of arrest and the sounds of patrol cars arriving. As she she went to turn back to the crowd she saw an object in her peripheral vision, she ducked but wasn't quick enough and the beer bottle hit her forehead, it was empty and smashed as it hit her. She managed to stay standing and turned to the direction of the throw to see a shocked young man "You stay right there" she said as she pushed her hand against her head. As she pushed her way out of the crowd, the man got a panicked look and went to take off.   
What he didn't see was Oliver standing behind him, as he turned to run he ran straight into him "Who are you running from?" He said as he grabbed his arm, he looked up to see Gail coming towards him, holding her head "Now I understand why you ran?" He turned to Chloe who was nearby "Arrest him for disturbing the peace and possibly assaulting an officer" she took him off his hands as Gail went to follow them, he grabbed her arm "Hold up Darlin, you're bleeding" he said.  
She pulled her hand away to she the blood catching the moonlight on her glove "Shit" she said.  
"Probably only needs a stitch or two" he said as he pulled a handkerchief out "Its clean" he stated as he put it over the cut and she pulled off her messy glove and used the same hand to hold it to her head. The other officers seemed to be breaking the fight up efficiently so he led his ex rookie to her patrol car "So hospital or the doc?" He asked.  
"Holly" she said "The hospital will freak her out"  
"Yea and see her pregnant wife bleeding won't?" He asked as he opened the front passenger door "FOX" he yelled as she sat down on the seat.  
The young man looked over from where he was arresting some one. He handed the guy off to Andy and jogged over "Whoa" he said as he reached them, he looked a little roughed up "You okay Boss?" He asked the blonde.  
"Yea, I just didn't duck quick enough" she said looking up at him. Oliver looked in the boot of the car and pulled out a small towel from Gail's go bag. He handed it to her.  
"Can you take her down to her wife, she'll stitch her up" he said.  
The blonde pulled the keys from her pocket, then put the towel on her head "I'll see you back at the station" she said to Oliver as he closed the door.

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When the blonde walked into the autopsy room, with the towel held to her head and blood all down her face and front and Will walking behind her. Holly took one look at her and said "Really?" As she tugged off the bloody gloves she had on, she turned off her note taker and walked over to Gail and her partner "And where were you when this happened?" She asked him, anger in her tone, as she eased the towel off the blondes head, there was a cut just above her eyebrow, a huge lump was on her eyebrow and black bruising was already forming around her eye.  
"He was dealing with his own drunks" Gail said, surprising herself when she defended him. "Anyway it was an idiot throwing a beer bottle, at least it was empty" she said.  
The doctor sighed, she reached into her pocket and handed the young officer a few bills "Can you you go get us all coffee, there an all night cafe about two blocks south?" She asked.  
"Sure thing" he said and took off, glad to be out of the middle of the couple.  
"What part of be careful do you find so hard to bloody understand?" She said as she got a few things out to sew it up her up, including some local anaesthetic to numb the cut, she was banging things around the room "I mean really only you could get hit by a beer bottle in the middle of a crowd, do I need to wrap you up in cotton wool?"   
"Lunchbox come on, it wasn't a great situation I know and yea I probably should have stayed out of the crowd but Will and I were the first responders we needed to stop what was..." Gail was cut off when Holly's lips landed on hers, not questioning it, she went with it, she pulled her closer and the brunette moved them backwards until her legs hit the bench.  
Holly slowed the kiss and pulled back, she looked the blonde in the eyes, she didn't speak just ran her fingers over her bloodied face "I don't want the details, are you sure you're okay?" She asked "Maybe we should take you to get checked out"  
"I've got a headache and blood everywhere" she ran her finger over the brunettes nose then showed her the blood "Its even on you. I didn't get knocked out and nothing happened to the baby, I'm fine I promise" She said and gave her another peck on the lips.  
"Okay, let's get you cleaned up" Holly said as pulled away, she put the towel back on Gail's still slowly bleeding wound, washed her own face and quickly covered the body. She then grabbed the dish from the bench with the suture kit and some other things "We can do this in my office" she said taking the officer's hand and leading her from the room.

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Once Holly had cleaned most of the blood off Gail in the small kitchen in her new office, she sat her on her desk, stood between her legs and began to prepare to sew the cut. The blondes hands were gripping her hips as she injected the cut with local anaesthetic when there was a knock on the door "Come in Will" she said as she put the last bit of medication into the cut.  
"Coffee and doughnuts for all" he said, the smell of the coffee and freshly cooked cinnamon doughnuts wafted in with him.  
Holly put a temporary dressing over the cut while the anaesthetic took effect, she pulled the gloves off "You're a life saver" she said and picked up the cups marked for her and Gail, she gave her wife hers and had a big drink of her own "So Gail tells me you're interested in the Allen case?" She asked as she leaned on the desk between the blondes legs.  
He blushed "We were taught some of it at the academy as an example of how great forensics, following your gut feelings and solid police work can catch a serial killer"  
"We worked bloody hard on that case, day and night" Gail said "Sometimes it can be the smallest things that can make the difference"  
"I can walk you through the case sometime if you like, you off on Tuesday and Wednesday as well?" Holly asked as she sipped the hot energising drink. She reached over and grabbed two doughnuts out of the nearby bag then handed one to the woman behind her. Gail kissed her head and took it, groaning as she bit into it.  
"Yea, she's my TO until her maternity leave so I do the same shifts" he explained sitting on the couch in her office.  
"Come down about 12.30 on Wednesday, Gail and I will tell you how everything happened" she know the blonde wouldn't exactly be happy with the idea but she also knew she'd still do it.  
"That would be awesome" he said with a grin, his cell phone in his pocket went off, he looked at it "I'll just...." he said, stood and walked out the door as he answered.  
Gail rested her chin on Holly's shoulder "And I really want to spend time with my rookie on my days off" she commented.  
The brunette kissed her cheek "He's a good kid, he wants to learn"

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Holly stitched up Gail and her and her rookie headed back to the station, as they walked in Frank, who wasn't on until 8am was standing above the bullpen in street clothes "Stewart, Fox my office now" he said and walked off.  
"Crap" the blonde muttered, she knew what he was going to say.  
"Why are we in trouble?" Will asked as he followed her.  
"Because I went into that crowd even though I'm pregnant and without back up" Gail explained, had she not been hit by the bottle it wouldn't have been an issue but now it was on record, Frank had been made aware of it.  
They both walked in, he pointed to the blonde "You sit" he turned to the young man and pointed at him "You, if I ever hear that you are not standing either next to or in front of your pregnant TO in a violent crowd situation again, I'll beat your ass from here to next week you understand?" He asked the anger evident in his tone.  
Will's head and shoulders dropped down "Yes Sir" he said.  
"You're on desk for the rest of your shift and tomorrow night, get out of my sight" he said as he sat down "Close the door" he said to the retreating rookie.  
"I know" she said before he could speak "I should have waited for back up, I endangered myself and my rookie going into a situation that could have turned sour very quickly" she said.  
"Gail, I know you know that" he said "I didn't call you in here for that, I should, the situation must called for it and if you hadn't gotten a the bottle to the head, I probably would have been none the wiser" he added.  
"So why..." she started then something occurred to her "Did you really only call me in here to put the wind up Fox for not looking after me cos if you did I'm gonna kill Oliver" the blonde said.  
"I got two calls tonight, one saying that you'd been assaulted and the second from Oliver and both worried me" Frank explained "Now I don't care if you don't like it, people in this division care a lot about you and that currently growing family of yours, you can't just run into situations like that anymore, now I was told Holly was at the morgue so I gave her a call and she's picking you up in about ten minutes" she went to protest but he put his hand up "You're going home to rest, you and Fox will be on desk duty until you're off nights. After that you'll be on days until your compulsory desk duty starts, I will not risk the wrath of your wife if something should happen to either of you" he stated. Gail sat back with a huff of annoyance "I only want to keep you two safe" he said.  
The blonde went to rub her head but hissed in pain as she hit the lump on her eyebrow "Fine" she said giving in, her head was hurting and if she was honest with herself the whole thing tonight had freaked her out a little bit "Can I go?" She asked as she looked out the glass wall and saw Oliver.  
Frank gave her a smile "Certainly, don't be too hard on him" he said as she got up and left.  
Her ex TO caught sight of her as he walked up the steps "I did it for your own good" he said as she approached.  
She punched his arm "You're an asshole" she said with a pout.  
"You love me anyway" he said.  
"God only knows why" the blonde said shoving him.  
Oliver smiled "Cos I'm so cute" he said.  
"No that's not it" Gail said with a straight face.  
"I guess I deserved that" he said as he looped his arm through hers "Let's go visit your..." he got cut off by his phone, he released her and looked at it, he sighed "I can't wait until I get your rookie, I love Chloe Price but riding with her everyday, night, whatever is doing my head in" he said "I'll see you tonight" he said then walked away answering the phone.  
"So Frank called me" Holly said from behind Gail, she turned and faced her, she had her hands in her coat pockets as she walked to her "I was thinking, how about we go home, you can have a nice warm bath while I make us some pancakes with lots of syrup, we eat then we'll slide into bed for the rest of the day, cos I'm not going in or being on call until Monday" she finished as she stood in front of her wife.  
Gail stepped into her and rested her head on her chest, being careful of the lump and stitches, and put her hands on her hips "Sounds awesome" she said into her chest.  
The brunette ran her hands up and down her arms "Then let's get out of here"

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I hope you enjoyed this, definitely more to come


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

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I'm really sorry this has taken so long, I hope the length of the update takes some of the sting out of the wait, no I haven't abandoned this or K-9 it's just life keeps getting in the way. I won't bore you with the details of my crappy health issues, ill let you get to reading. Hope you enjoy the update and as always there will be more to come. Hopefully quicker that last time.

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

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Chapter Twenty Five 

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"Thank god that's over" Gail sighed loudly as she dropped her go bag in the entry "Hol?" She called out.  
"In here" Holly called from the kitchen, she handed her a cup of hot chocolate and gave her a peck on the lips "Well at least you won't have any more night shifts until after your maternity leave"  
The blonde had just finished the other three night shifts, with Fox, on the front desk. She was just thankful that in 24 hours, she'd be back on normal patrol. She watched her wife move away and finish making some toast "What time to you start today?" She asked as she moved across the room, put the drink down and then rested her hands on the other woman's hips and started tugging her tank top from her flannel pyjama pants.  
The blonde slid her hands under her top, Holly smiled, she offered Gail half of the buttered toast. She pulled one hand out and took it, The other kept moving upward, the brunette gasped as her fingers brushed her bare breast "Someone's a little horny this morning" she murmured  
The blonde finished the toast quickly and started kissing her neck "Do you have time?" She asked against Holly's skin and she slipped her other hand back under her tank top and took both of her breasts in her hands.  
"I'll make time" The doctor moaned as her top was pulled over her head.

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Holly left Gail fast asleep on their bed. She was an hour late to work but it had been worth it. She smiled as she unlocked her office as she got through the door her cell phone rang. She put her kit, laptop and briefcase down on her desk and tugged it from her pocket, it was her boss "Henry, what can I do for you?" She asked.  
"Holly, I've been discussing the intern program with Davidson" he explained "The last group officially finishes in four weeks, I think we should wait until they're finished their rotation then you'll have another few weeks to set up your own program."  
The brunette rolled her eyes, thankful he couldn't see her. She currently had an almost 12 week pregnant wife, who she worried about every time she went to work. She was trying to get everything ready for then Allen case as she would need to be ready about two months before the trial so the information could go to both sides, it wasn't due until for another month or so but her life wasn't about to get easier so she wanted it all ready now. In a little over two weeks her and Gail would be spending a weekend out of town for Oliver's wedding and with Davidson constantly calling in sick or just not answering when he was on call, she was pretty much run off her feet "Look Henry to be honest, I don't have time for any of this, when I agreed to the contract you offered last year, part of the reason I signed was because you said we'd be hiring another pathologist to take some of the pressure off, I won't have time to teach any interns if you don't start steps towards getting someone in" She said honestly as she sat on her chair and pulled out her laptop "plus this person will be taking over when I'm on leave once the baby comes so we need to get them ready for that, Gail is due in 28 weeks" she pointed out as she turned the computer on.  
The other end of the phone went quiet for a few beats "I'll put feelers out today for a few candidates and advertise both here and in the USA" he said eventually.  
"Thank you" Holly said "You may want to replace Davidson some time soon too" she suggested  
"Let's get this new person in first" he said. 

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"Hey beautiful" Gail said walking into Holly's office a few hours later with a bag of food "I thought I'd bring you lunch"   
The doctor looked up at her and smiled "Just the beautiful person I needed to see" she said and waved the blonde over.  
Gail put the bag on the coffee table and moved over to stand in front of her "You okay?" She asked resting her hand on her cheek.   
Holly took her hand, kissed it then tugged her in closer and rested her head on her chest, one hand resting over her belly "Yea, just stressed, the Allen case prep and Henry wants me to train interns in about 8 weeks, I told him to hire a new pathologist like we discussed before I'd talk about it" she said.  
The blonde rested her forearms on her wife's shoulders "Did you mention he should get rid of that pain in the ass?" She said as she played with the brunettes ponytail.  
Holly chuckled "Yea I did actually, he said let's get this new person first" she pulled her head back and looked up at Gail, she ran her finger over the stitches in her forehead.  
"Have you left the office today?" She asked, Holly enjoyed field work as much as the science, she didn't mind the amount of paperwork that came with it but would get grumpy when she got stuck at her desk for too long.  
"I've just been doing paperwork all morning, I need to head over to 15 then to 27 a bit later to speak to the staff sergeants about a few officers who don't seem to understand forensic protocols" she said annoyance in her tone.  
"Ahh, incompetent rookies?" The blonde asked.  
"Yes, you really think by now they would understand that you don't just stomp all over...." her rave was cut off by a kiss from her wife, Gail kissed her for about a minute, she could feel her arms wrap around her when she deepened the kiss.   
She pulled back and looked down at her "Lunch" she said.  
Holly suddenly realised something "How did you get here?" She asked as the blonde pulled out of her arms and tugged her to her feet.  
"Your brother, he came over to pick up a few things, I told him I was thinking about bringing you lunch. He insisted he get it from the restaurant and drop me off, he also offered to pick me up if you were too busy to take me home" she explained as they sat on the couch and pulled out the food.  
"Remind me to thank him" Holly said as she opened the fresh pasta dish.

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Gail had gone with Holly to 15 while she spoke to Frank, She wandered into the homicide offices to find Traci "New case" she asked looking at the pictures of young women hanging on the board.  
"Rapist" Traci said "Five women, with the same MO, within the space of two months"  
"Five that have come forward" Sam corrected.  
"Shouldn't a sex crimes detective be working it?" She asked.  
The female detective shot her a look "She is on vacation, we called for one from 17 but she was in the field, so I told them that we could handle it for now" she said "Gail, isn't it your day off" she pointed out, slightly annoyed at her friend for thinking they shouldn't be handling the case.  
"Yes" she said as she looked over the board they'd set up "Holly is pissed cos rookies keep trampling crime scenes, she's talking to Frank"  
"That would be Epstein's rookie" Sam said "A gang case the other day, he walked through blood and evidence to puke in the bushes" he explained "Not everyone is Fox" he added with a smirk.  
"He's ok" Gail said with a shrug "At least he listens most of the time"  
"Come on Peck, he worships the ground you and the doctor walk on" Sam said.  
"It's Stewart and so what, he'll be a good cop if he sticks to protocol as much as possible" she pointed out.  
"He's definitely better than some I know" he conceded.  
"Gail?" Holly asked from the doorway.  
"I gotta go guys, if you need help on this, I'm interested" the blonde said as she got up.  
"Maybe" Traci said, knowing how these sorts of cases got to her but also knowing the knack she seemed to have for solving them.

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"I'm home" Holly called as she walked in the house that night. No answer came from her wife, she could hear the TV. She put her things on the kitchen bench and went to see where she was "Gail?" She asked softly as she walked into the living room. The blonde was out cold on the couch, she was on her side and the Playstation control in her hand about to drop onto the floor. The brunette smiled, she went and put her things in her office then came back. She took the controller, turned the console off. She squatted down next to Gail "Sweetheart, I'm home" she said as she ran her fingers through the blondes short hair.  
Gail stirred and looked at her "You're home?" She asked, a little confused.  
"Yea I am, I'm sorry I'm late I had a last minute body come in" the brunette explained "Thankfully I didn't need to go to the scene" she moved and sat on the edge of the couch next to her "Did you want me to make or order something for dinner?"  
"No I already made pumpkin soup" The blonde said with a yawn.  
"Thank you for cooking, I'll dish up" Holly said, but didn't move. She leant down and kissed her shoulder "I have something for you" she said, her chin resting on her arm.  
Gail rolled over a bit so she was facing her, the brunette sat back up "You don't need to buy me things" the blonde said as she rested her head back.  
"I can buy things for my wife if I want to" she tugged a small box from her pocket she opened the box to reveal a necklace with a white gold disc with 'Baby On Board' engraved on it and a small fancy looking ball.  
The blonde pushed herself up onto her elbow and tugged the necklace free, she ran her finger over the disc and smiled at her wife. She ran her fingers over the ball and it made a soft chime noise when it moved "What's this?" She asked, her head tilted with curiosity   
"It's a Bola or a Harmony Ball, it has several meanings, it hangs down on the top of your stomach and the chime noise is suppose to promote inner calm and harmony. Some cultures believe it calls the baby's guardian angel. Some say it helps remind you to spend time with the baby" Gail watched Holly with a smile on her face as she explained it, she looked a little nervous, the blonde figured she was a little unsure about the gift "The one I liked and the reason I got it was that the soft chime symbolises the powerful and unique bond you share with the baby, plus it suppose to be a good luck charm too, I figured...." The brunettes babbling was interrupted by Gail's lips on her own.   
They kissed for a few seconds then the blonde pulled back "Baby, stop worrying I love it, I think it's a beautiful idea" Gail reassured her as she laid back down.  
Holly let out a puff of air "I was a tiny bit worried you'd think it was dumb" she said as she took the long necklace, her wife lifted her head and she slipped it on for her.  
Gail grabbed her hand and laced their fingers "No gift from you, especially ones like this that come from your heart, could ever be dumb" she said and kissed her hand.  
"I love you" the brunette said and leaned forward over the blonde, intending to kiss her.  
"I love..." Gail started saying when she was interrupted by a heavy knock on the front door "Really?" She sighed.  
"I'll get rid of them" Holly said, she gave the blonde a quick peck and went to the door. The blonde sat up and yawned "Honey" the brunette said from the doorway, she was standing their with Sophie next to her.  
"Hey Munchkin" Gail said as the little girl ran over and cuddled her. It had been a few weeks since they'd seen her, Her Aunt had been busy and so had they and they just hadn't found the time.  
"I'm sorry to just drop by but Soph was asking for the last three days to come see you and I figured we'd take a chance and see if you wanted to come out with us for pizza" Kira explained.  
"Well at the moment the smell of bacon makes me sick so how about we order in and hang out here" the blonde suggested.  
"That's fine, if you guys don't mind" Kira said "I don't mean to intrude"   
"You're not intruding" Holly said as she grabbed the menu of their favourite pizza place "We were only going to be eating then watching TV" she looked to Gail who gave her a wink, letting her know she agreed.   
She touched the necklace as stood up drawing Sophie's attention to it "That's really pretty" she said reaching out to touch it.   
The blonde sat back down and handed it to her, it was still around her neck but the chain was long enough to show her "Holly bought it for me and the baby, it's a good luck charm. It also has a bell inside" she said and the young girl shook it and smiled.  
"Baby on board?" She said reading the disc, a slight question in her tone, she thought for a few seconds "Ohh because the baby is in your tummy" she said realising what it meant "That's nice" she said giving the bell one more shake then gently letting it rest against Gail's stomach.  
"So what pizzas do you want?" Holly asked. When they had initially told Sophie about the baby, her reaction wasn't what they expected. She'd flat out asked if they were having their own baby because she couldn't live with them because her aunt took her away. They'd all stuttered over her reaction and the young girl had started to get upset until Gail had taken her out on her own for ice cream. They'd sat at the park for a while and talked about how Sophie needed her aunt and that Kira needed her too, they talked about the baby and the blonde promised they would always have time for her even after the baby comes, that she was still very important to them. After that Sophie was always positive when they talked about the baby. The next step would be once it arrives but they'd worry about that later.  
"Can I just get cheese?" Sophie asked.  
"Of course" the doctor said "Gail, honey?" She asked as the blonde had spaced out playing with the necklace.  
"Hmmm" she muttered looking at her wife.  
"What pizza?" She asked again.  
"Just the usual" she said and stood up "I'll be back in a sec" she said and went upstairs.  
"The usual?" Kira asked.  
"Since she's been pregnant, Barbecue sauce, Bell peppers and Four types of cheese" Holly explained, she handed her the menu "Any preferences?"   
"Is a chicken satay okay?" She asked looking at the flyer.  
"Yea, she just can't handle the smell of any pork products" she explained, the brunette looked up the stairs, worried because she had a feeling Gail wasn't coming back anytime soon, she quickly made the call then turned to their guests "Orders in, you guys okay with the TV for a minute so I can..." she pointed upstairs.  
Kira understood "Its okay, we'll keep an ear out for the pizza guy" she said, letting her know she could take her time if she needed to.  
Holly headed upstairs, she found Gail sitting on their bed crying "Oh sweetheart" she said as she knelt down in front of her, the blonde dived on her sobbing. The brunette dropped back on her backside and held her lover on her lap. She rocked her slightly not saying much, she knew she'd have to give her a few minutes to calm down before she could talk to her. When she started to calm down Holly spoke "What's this all about?" She asked as she brushed the hair from Gail's forehead. She tilted her chin up so their eyes met.  
The blonde shrugged and sniffed "I don't know, I was thinking about how Sophie reacted when we told her about the baby and I started thinking about how if Kira hadn't come back we might not be having the baby and I just..." she took a deep shuddering breath.  
"I keep telling you thinking is bad for you" she said with a grin, happier now she knew nothing was going on. Gail slapped her on the arm, then snuggled against her, her face in her neck "It's the hormones sweetheart, it's just magnifying your feelings" she rubbed her hands up and down the blondes back "You don't need to hide if you need to cry, just tell me"  
"I didn't wanna cry in front of Sophie" the blonde mumbled into her neck.  
"So pull me aside, don't just leave" she reasoned.  
Gail sat up and looked down at Holly "I didn't mean to worry you" she said "I'm sorry"  
The brunette took her face in her hands and kissed her "Its okay, don't be sorry" she said and rested their heads together "Although we have two guests downstairs who came to visit us not our television"  
The blonde got up off her and held out her hand, pulling Holly up, she yawned as she did "I don't think the night shifts have done my emotions any favours either" she pointed out as she held on to the brunettes hand.  
"Once they've gone, how about we have a bath then get you to bed" Holly suggested as she took Gail's other hand and walked backwards out of the room.  
The blonde eyes lit up with something other than tiredness "Us in the bath, naked and wet?" She questioned in a low tone that made Holly gulp "Can't wait"

0-0-0-0-0-0

They spent the evening with Sophie and her aunt watching movies and eating pizza. By the time they left, Gail was asleep on the couch again. Holly managed to get her up long enough to get her upstairs and into bed. Her plans of a bath gone to the wayside, the brunette quickly showered, dressed and climbed into bed wrapping herself around the blonde and fell asleep almost straight away. Hours later at about 3am Gail sat bolt upright in bed, Holly sat up, considering the blonde had been in her arms, she was almost pulled with her "Vomit or bad dreams?" The brunette asked sleepily.  
Gail rested her head in her hands and released the breath she'd been holding "Dreams" she said softly.  
Holly put her arm around her waist, she could feel the blonde trembling "Can I help?" She asked as she tugged her closer, her head falling onto her wife's chest as the doctor tugged her back so they were laying down.  
Gail looked up at her "Can you just hold me till I fall asleep?" She asked, almost shyly.  
"Whatever you need" Holly said and kissed her head.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Neither woman had much sleep that night, every time she fell asleep after the first nightmare Gail would wake suddenly, screaming or crying. When the doctors alarm had sounded, she put in a quick call to Henry stating they'd had a bad night and wasn't well rested enough to do her job justice and it's time Davidson pulled his weight. Then she'd fallen back to sleep wrapped around her wife. They managed a few solid hours sleep when about lunchtime someone started calling Gail's phone, it was on silent but it was buzzing madly on the bedside table. Holly reached out to see who it was when the blondes hand shot out and threw the phone, it landed in their ensuite, smashed in pieces. Five minutes passed then Holly's phone started. The brunette rolled over to see who it was not wanting to have to replace two phones in one day, she picked it up and frowned at the phone "Why is your rookie calling me?" She asked the woman next to her.  
Gail's head popped up, Holly couldn't help but smile at her, her eyes were closed and her short hair was sticking up in all different directions "My who is calling you?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep.  
"Your rookie" the brunette said showing her the phone, she had Fox's number but she had only been given him Holly's number in case of emergencies while Gail was working.  
"Shit" the blonde said taking the phone and rolling over "We were gonna meet him at your office to show him the Allen case stuff" she said rubbing her hand over her face and sitting up.  
"What do you want to do?" Holly asked.  
"Not spend time with him on my day off when I've got a day with you" Gail said, she pushed the screen to answer the call "What the fuck are you doing calling this number, what did I say it was for?" She demanded. The brunette looked at her, she knew her wife was actually angry so she slipped out of bed and let her take care of the call. She went used the bathroom then started picking up the pieces of the broken cell phone.  
"Emergencies with you or the baby" he said like he'd memorised it.  
"So considering I'm not at work and neither are you, I can't see why the fuck you'd call a number I expressly told you was only for emergencies just because we both had a terrible night and forgot to meet up with you today" she said "Hang up, go home and don't call this fucking number again" Gail ended the call as Holly appeared for the bathroom and handed her the pieces of her phone.  
"We did say we'd show the case to him today" the brunette said, sitting on the bed next to her "We didn't even call him and let him know we weren't coming" she pointed out.  
The blonde put Holly's phone and the pieces of hers in her lap, she rubbed her hands on her face "I'll apologise for that tomorrow, I couldn't do that while I'm yelling at him for calling your phone"   
"True" the brunette said "Hungry?" She asked.  
"Starving"  
"While you shower I'll get us some breakfast" she kissed her.  
"How about we shower together" Gail said "And then go out for lunch, maybe do some shopping, like for a new phone" she said as she wrapped her hands around Holly's neck "I'll give Janine a call, see if she can fit us in this afternoon" she murmured into her neck.  
The brunette ran her hands up and down the blondes back with a smile, happy her wife was getting better with asking for help.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail walked in and dropped her go bag on the bench in front of her locker with a sigh, she only had today left, it had been a long week, she'd been testy with Fox since he called Holly's phone. She'd apologised for not meeting him but aside from that she'd said nothing personal to him or engaged him in conversation unless it had to do with work. It made for strained, stressful days but she'd already let him in too much and wanted to make sure that the lines didn't blur between TO and Rookie until he was cut loose.  
"Everything okay?" Traci said coming and standing near her.  
The blonde sighed and looked at her "I'm just tired" she said "I'm tired all the time" she added.  
"That's pregnancy for you" the detective commented.  
Gail huffed "So I'm told, did you want something in particular or..." she started to snap but stopped herself "I'm sorry" she said and sat down.  
"It's alright, is everything okay?" She asked sitting next to her.  
"Between trying not to be friends with my rookie, my hormones going crazy and just...." she stopped.  
"You can be friends with Fox" Traci said "You've just gotta know where to draw the line at work, the hormones I can't help you with but I can offer you a distraction" she said.  
"What's that?" Gail said as she stood and started putting a few things in her locker.  
"That rape case from last week, we could use a couple of new sets of eyes plus we've got two victims that we could use your help with" Traci explained.  
The blonde stopped what she was doing and looked at the detective, she considered her for a second "They're gay right?" She asked, it seemed since she'd come out, she was the go to lesbian when it came to dealing with any gay victims.  
"You seem to be able to connect to them easier that we can" Traci said "I know we should stop using you for this, it's not exactly fair, it's not like everyone calls me when a black man or woman gets arrested" the detective sighed then added "Thing is though with this case you know what they've been through" she didn't want to bring that part up.  
Gail sat back down, at least Traci seemed to grasp what they were doing "Look, try and talk to them, if they won't talk to you I'll give it a try" she said.  
"Thank you" the detective said and stood.  
"Will the hormones settle down?" The blonde asked before she left.  
"Eventually" she watched Gail sigh with relief then added "A few months after the baby's born" she left, chuckling, before her friend could react.

0-0-0-0-0-0

15's numbers were down so most of the officers were sent out to set up speed traps. Gail and Fox were working with Oliver and Chloe. The two more senior officers were tempted to stick their rookies together but knew they weren't suppose to so decided against it "Aside from calling Dr Stewart's phone, have I done something to upset you?" Will asked as they sat waiting in the squad car for Oliver to give them the next speeders details.  
Gail sighed, Holly had asked her to fix things with Fox that morning because she was tired of the hour long silent treatment she got when they got home at night. The blonde didn't say more than a few words to her until she'd calmed down from her day "What happened on your first day with Holly's accident, we got too friendly with each other on the job and I think the line has blurred between me being your TO and your friend. I need to get back to maintaining a more professional relationship with you. After I yelled at you for calling Holly's phone, I just realised it was my fault that you felt like you could" she explained "For now until you're cut loose from needing a TO, I'm your teacher, we can be friends outside the job once you're cut free" she added "Holly gets calls from reporters about cases sometimes to the point she's had to make her number private, that's why I was so hesitant to give you her cell number in the first place and why I reacted so badly when you used it" she explained hoping he would understand.  
He nodded "I am sorry about the call" he said.  
She pulled a Zip drive from her pocket "This is what Holly was gonna show you that day, it's pretty much only what's been released to the media because legally you can't see anymore but if you have questions her emails on there, she'll answer you when she can" she explained as he took it "You harass her and I'll make your time as my rookie a living hell" she added sternly.  
"Yes Ma'am" he said with a smile as he pocketed the Zip drive.  
The radio interrupted any further conversation "A big black F-150, with the plate NCP 223, weaving and speeding doing 87"  
The truck blew past them, Fox hit the lights and sirens as Gail took off after him, after a mile or so later he finally pulled over. The blonde got out and walked to the drivers window, she knocked on it with her clip board. When he opened the window the smell of rum slapped her in the face. She fought against the wave of nausea that hit her. She swallowed then spoke "Good Morning Sir, any reason you were going 87 in a 60 zone" she asked.  
"I'm late" he slurred.  
"Late for what?" She asked as she waved Fox over to help her.  
"Work" he said.  
"I'll need your licence" she stated as Will joined her.  
The second he stood near the car he could smell the alcohol, he looked to his TO. She gave him a look that he now knew that he was to just follow her lead. After a minute or two the man finally found his licence and handed it to Gail. She wrote down his details "Now Mr Ramsey, I need you step out of the truck for me"  
He didn't argue and opened the door, first he tried to get out with the seat belt on then he all but fell out of the truck "Is this for a sobriety test?" He asked as he stood there swaying.  
"Yes, it was going to be but I don't think that's necessary" the blonde answered. As she started filling in the form for his arrest for driving under the influence.  
"I think we both know I'm drunk" he said in a stage whisper as he struggled to stay upright.  
Gail grabbed her radio "15-04 this is 15-09, Oliver, this driver just admitted to driving drunk and he and his car stinks of rum. I need to get him to the barn for testing"  
"15-09 this is 15-04, read you loud and clear Stewart, we'll pack up and follow you in" Oliver answered.  
It wasn't until they got him to the station that the guy decided to go from cooperating to resisting. He'd refused to get out of the car in the Sally port. Between Fox and Oliver they managed to get him into booking, get his belongings off him and put him in the holding cell. Gail was standing filling in the paperwork for his breath test when he whistled, she turned to look and realised he'd dropped his pants and was flashing her "Put it away Mr Ramsey because trust me, it's really not impressive" she said and turned back to sign the form. Laughter erupted in booking. She handed Chris the form for the breath test that he and her rookie would take him for. She left them to it and went in search of something to settle her rolling stomach that had gotten a lot worse thanks to spending twenty minutes in the car with the drunk.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The blonde officer walked into the morgue a while later with a bag of food, she put the bag on the bench and sat on one of the stools then watched her wife finish what she was doing "I heard you got flashed earlier" Holly said with a smile, once she was done. She pulled her bloody gloves off and turned off the recorder.  
Gail had called her offering to drop in a salad from the deli she liked not far from 15 "Our strapless strap-on is more impressive" she said as the brunette approached, she grabbed her hips and tugged her between her legs "Hi" she said brushing a few stray pieces of hair of her face and tucking them behind her ear.  
Holly, rested her hands on the blondes thighs and looked at her lips then closed the gap between them, she gave her a soft sweet kiss then rested their foreheads together "You seem more relaxed, did you talk to Will?" She asked.  
Gail rolled her eyes, which made Holly lift her hand from her thigh and slap it "Ouch, one you shouldn't smack the woman carrying your child and two yes I did, I talked about it and gave him the Zip drive"  
At the mention of the baby, the brunettes hand she'd hit her with went straight to the bump in Gail's belly, she tugged open the buttons on her shirt and rested her hand against the fabric of her undershirt "You do look tired though" she said, her other hand picking up the blondes.  
"I'm always tired" Gail stated, resting her head on Holly's shoulder "I got you the Greek salad and that yogurt you like" she explained.  
"Thank you" the brunette said, she kissed her wife's cheek, released her hand and looked in the bag then frowned. She tugged the blondes head up "There's only my lunch in there, you're not staying?" She asked.  
Gail looked at her watch "I can stay for a bit, I've got about twenty minutes, its just after having that Rum smelling flasher in the squad, my stomach has been rolling, I think eating food would be tempting fate" she explained "I'll try something after we get home tonight, at least then I can puke in my own bathroom then go to bed and sleep" she added.  
"If you're sure" The brunette said moving her hand to her cheek, she gave her a soft kiss, she grabbed the take out bag "Lets go find a spot outside" she said taking her hand and tugging the blonde off the stool.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"What time is Rachel coming tonight to do the check up?" Gail asked as they sat on a bench in the shade outside the forensics building.  
Holly pulled the two containers with the food in it out of the bag "She said just to give her a call once we're both home, she finishes about an hour after we do and our place is on her way home so she's happy to just drop in" the brunette explained then took a bite of the salad and groaned "Yum" she mumbled then leaned over and dropped a kiss on her wife's lips "Thank you for this"  
"Anytime" Gail said resting her hand on Holly's leg "Traci asked me to help on a rape case today, there's two of the victims are gay, she wants me to talk to them"  
"Did she state it was because you were gay?" The brunette asked as she continued eating.   
"Not in so many words, she also said it's cos I understand what they've been through" she explained.  
"You do seem to have become the resident officer who deals with the lesbian or rape cases lately" she'd watched her lovers body language for a second, she looked defeated "You don't have to do it you know, they can and should get the sex crimes detective in to do it" Holly explained "Traci really shouldn't be asking you anyway" she knew that Gail's bad night last week stemmed from just asking the detective about the case.  
"Yea I know, but I am considering working for the sex crimes division, Frank is even talking about putting through a request for two years from now for a sex crimes detective to be stationed at 15 for me if I do decide to do it" the blonde explained. The brunette gave her a look "I know I'm still having nightmares now and then and my PTSD gets worse when I work on these cases but every time I help someone, I feel like maybe one day, I can get past all the crap he's left me with" Gail said.  
"I'll support what every you decide to do" Holly said sliding her hand against Gail's on her leg.

0-0-0-0-0-0

After coming back to 15, Gail found Fox in the break room and they headed back out on patrol for the afternoon. The ride was silent to begin with, after Gail let him take point on booking a speeder, she leaned on the hood of the squad car listening to his technique. When he joined her at the car, they both got in "How did I do?" He asked as they put their seat belts on.  
"Good" she said "the subject was fairly cooperative too" she said. She glanced at him before the pulled into the traffic "Have you heard about the rape case Detective Nash and Swarek are working?"  
"Yea" he answered "They've all be in people's homes, usually people who live alone, one was house sitting for someone else"  
Word of the case was spreading through the police force "Nash has offered me to assist on the case due to my past experiences" she didn't explain beyond that. Fox had been given a quick explanation about her abduction by the serial killer when they started working together.  
"If you wanna work the case, we can work the case" Will said  
She glanced at him "I wasn't asking you for permission as a matter of fact we both know don't need it" she said with a frown. She shook her head and concentrated on the road.  
After half an hour of silence he finally said something "I'm sorry I didn't mean it to sound like I was giving you permission, I just meant I'll do what ever you tell me" he tried to explain.  
She didn't say anything just gave him a nod, she'd thought he might have tried to explain what he'd meant a little earlier. They travelled in silence for the rest of the shift with barely any conversation. The blonde knew she was taking her annoyance at him giving her permission to work the case a bit too far but she didn't seem to be able to stop it. Their shift was almost done, Holly would be picking her up within an hour, the time she'd use to finish and turn in her paperwork for the day. She pulled the squad car into the parking lot at 15 "I'm gonna get the paperwork done" Gail said as she turned the car off and put the parking break on. They both got out of the car, grabbed their bags and walked into the station, once in the bull pen, the blonde dropped her bag on her desk and dropped into her chair "Shifts over in about 30, you can sign out early if you want" she offered, she sat forward, pulled her clipboard from her bag and a few case folders from her in tray.  
"What's going on with you today?" Will asked unable to take the backflipping moods of his TO anymore "One minute your telling me we can't be friends and the next your offering me to go home early"   
A few officers looked over "Look I'm sorry about today and how I've treated you this week" she said in a level tone "I don't mean to get moody, it's just..."  
"You can't blame being pregnant on the fact you acted like a hard assed fucking bitch to me all week" Fox blew up.  
"Oh shit" the officer sitting near them said and took off.  
"Excuse me" Gail said, getting up and moving over to him "What did you just say?" She asked, she was eerily calm, standing right in front of him.  
"You fucking..."   
He started but Chris arrived before he could say anymore, he put his arm around Gail and led her away "Quit while you're ahead" he said to the young rookie as they left.  
"Damn it" he said and dropped his bag next to the blondes desk.  
"FOX" Frank bellowed from his office door, he'd seen the entire exchange between them.  
"Great" he said sarcastically and headed to the staff sergeants office.  
He didn't even make Frank's office because Oliver grabbed him by his jacket and slammed him against a nearby wall. The staff Sargent leaned on his doorway and watched "If I ever, ever hear you speak to Gail like that or for that matter any woman, TO or not, pregnant or not, you'll be eating through a straw for the next six weeks are we clear?" he said, he pulled him off the wall and slammed him back against it, his hand fisted in his shirt, he moved in an inch from Fox's face "You might think you know some things about Gail but you have no idea what hell that woman has been through, cut her some fucking slack" he clipped him on the back of the head "Go get her paperwork and get it finished. I'll be back in 30 minutes and if it's not done you'll be the first rookie in history who'll be assigned to clean the drunk tank in the holding cells every single morning until you're cut loose" he released him with another clip to the back of his head and headed in the direction Chris and Gail had gone, he nodded to Frank who nodded back and went in his office then he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled "Hey Holly...."

0-0-0-0-0-0

The blonde was pacing the interrogation viewing room Chris had taken her to "You need to calm down before you have a panic attack" he said watching her pace.  
"I don't know why I'm so angry, I'm glad you stopped me because I was about to smack him in the face" she growled, still walking back and forth like a caged animal.  
Oliver opened the door "Someone is here for you" he said to Gail and stepped aside so Holly could walk in "Diaz" he said and waved the officer over.  
They left the couple and closed the door "Are you okay? I was walking in here from the carpark when Frank called and Oliver said Fox had a go at you in front of everyone" Holly asked as she watched Gail pace away from her and back, when she got close she grabbed both her hands, stopping her, she laced their fingers together "Talk to me sweetheart"  
The blonde sighed, she slept forward and leaned against the brunette "I'm just all over the place at the moment, the hormones, changing my medications, worrying about the baby, dealing with Fox and I really wanna help Traci with the case but I'm scared of...." she stopped.  
"Of making things worse with your PTSD again" Holly finished for her as she released her hands and wrapped her arms around her wife.  
"Maybe...." Gail started then stopped as she moved her hand inside the doctors coat.  
"Maybe what?" The brunette asked as she kissed the blondes forehead.  
"Maybe I should call Janine over tonight while Rachel is there, see if there's something a bit stronger they can put me on, I can feel my moods going haywire, I know some of its the hormones but I know myself well enough that it isn't just the hormones" she looked up at Holly "If that makes sense"  
The brunette smiled and nodded "It makes perfect sense" she said, she leaned in and gave her a kiss "Hi, I missed you this afternoon" she added pulling the blonde tighter against her.  
"I missed you too" Gail pulled one of her hands out and rested it on Holly's cheek "Lets get out of here and we'll talk about something other than this place"

0-0-0-0-0-0

When they left the station, Holly gave Rachel a quick call, letting her know they were on their way home and Gail contacted Janine and she was more than happy to drop in after her last appointment as she didn't live far from them, both women would arrive around the same time. They dropped into Matt's restaurant to pick up some dinner that the brunette had already ordered and they headed home.  
"You were quiet on the way home" Gail said as they sat at the dining table to eat, neither in the mood for television. She was fairly certain whatever was bugging her wife wasn't her because when she was upset with her, she made sure she knew it.  
"Between Davidson flaking so much and Henry wanting my input on every person he's interviewing, I'm running behind, when I left today I had about 5 unfinished reports. None of them are urgent or for active police cases but still" Holly explained. She hated leaving things outstanding, she is dedicated to her profession and a perfectionist when it came to her standard of work.  
"Could you get one of Davidson's interns to transcribe it for you, hell after this afternoon I think Fox would do it for you" the blonde said.  
The brunette smiled at her wife "I could do that if a certain police officer didn't come in and say inappropriate things sometimes when I'm recording" she explained "And anyway I don't transcribe the old fashioned way much anymore use the note taker software and the computer transcribes it for me, its having the time to edit my thoughts into a report. Only I can do that"  
Gail nodded as she ate "I'm sorry about this afternoon, I had tried to explain to Fox about we need to be TO and rookie until he's cut loose and I just kept fucking it up and by the end of shift we were just completely pissed off at each other, he blew up and I was going to hit..." the blonde suddenly stopped, sat back and took a deep breath.  
"You okay?" Her wife asked, she noticed Gail had gone a little green "Your stomach still off?" The blonde nodded, holding her hand over her mouth. A few seconds passed then she took off for the bathroom. Holly chuckled to herself, took another mouthful of food and went to the bathroom. Most people wouldn't want to eat after watching someone puke but the brunette dealt with worse on a daily basis.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey Rach" Holly said softly as she opened the door and hugged her friend.  
"Are we whispering for a reason?" The other doctor asked as she took her jacket off.  
"Gail's asleep on the couch, she couldn't keep her dinner down" she explained.  
"A possible stomach flu?" Rachel asked concerned.  
Holly shook her head "She dealt with a Rum smelling drunk today and she felt off since being in the squad car with him"  
"Ahhh morning sickness" she said as they walked in the kitchen.  
"You know" Gail said from the other side of the bench startling them both but she didn't seem to notice "If morning sickness would be just in the morning and not any time of the day and upset by certain smells, that would make this pregnancy thing easier to cope with" she said and sagged onto a stool.  
"Lemonade?" Her wife offered.  
The blonde nodded. Before she could speak again there was a knock at the door "I'll get it" she said.  
"No, sit" Holly said placing the glass of soda in front of her. She went to the door "Hi Janine, come in" she said " Thanks for doing this on such short notice"  
"It's never a problem, I'm happy to help you both anytime" the therapist said.  
"Rachel" Holly said as they came in the kitchen "this is Janine, Gail's therapist, well actually I'd say our therapist" she turned to Janine "This is Rachel, one of my best friends and our OB/GYN"  
While the two medical professionals exchanged pleasantries and started talking, the brunette moved to Gail's side "Feeling any better?" She asked as she put her arm around her shoulders and kissed her head.  
"Yea I might try some dry crackers before we head to bed" she said as she leaned on Holly.  
"Let's get this underway shall we" Rachel said to the pair.

0-0-0-0-0-0

After a quick physical, Rachel said she was happy with both Gail and the baby's progress. She gave them a hospital referral to do sonogram when she's about 20 weeks along to check the baby's growth. They listened to the baby's heartbeat, bringing tears to both Gail and Holly's eyes and making the other two women present tear up as well. After Rachel was done, they all sat down at the dining table with cups of tea and talked about what was happening.  
"There are options with your medications" Rachel said "So far the baby is perfectly healthy, we'll do a sonogram in eight weeks time but so far everything's on track"  
"You are always going to have problems with the hormones affecting your moods, most women do and as we've talked about, your PTSD was always going to make it a lot worse" Janine explained "Is there something in particular that you've noticed is setting off your moods?"  
"There's the rape case we talked about" Gail said, she sighed "It not just that... I... it just seems like I'm unstable, like I can't seem to get control of myself" she added, her voice heavy with emotion. Holly squeezed her hand, she was next to her, holding one of the blondes hands in both of hers.  
"You don't have to avoid medications because of the baby, we may need to lower a dosage or two but we can definitely come up with a combination that will get you to a place where you're more stable while your pregnant. It's a bigger risk you being hyper emotional and pushing your blood pressure up during your pregnancy than it is taking the medication" Rachel explained. The two medical professionals discussed the drugs for a few minutes.  
"I'm sorry things have been stressful lately" Gail said squeezing Holly's hand "At least we'll be away next weekend, maybe we should take a couple of extra days" she suggested.  
The brunette kissed the blondes cheek "I would love nothing more but I'm not sure I'd be able to do it until we get the new pathologist" Holly explained, Gail leaned into her wife and sighed "You wanna go shower and head to bed?" She asked. It was only just before 8 but she knew how exhausted the other woman was after getting sick earlier.  
"I might have a quick shower while they work this out" the blonde got up and headed upstairs.  
By the time she reappeared, Holly was washing up and the house was empty "Hey" the brunette said as she felt Gail's arms wrap around her.  
"Where did everyone go?" She asked as she rested her head against her wife's back.  
"Home, they left a prescription for an antidepressant and an anti anxiety med, they both think it'll help, if not they said there's a mood stabiliser they can add that'll help too but they want to see how the new ones go" she explained.  
"Mmmm" Gail mumbled into her back.  
Holly pulled the plug on the sink "Time for bed" she suggested.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail walked into Parade with a yawn and plonked onto the desk at the back next to Traci "You and Fox are with me and Swarek on the rape case for a few days, another victim came forward last night" she explained "when I requested some uniforms, Frank asked if I wanted you"  
She shrugged "If you want my help I'll do it, you know that" the blonde said as more people came in.  
"Everything okay?" The detective asked.  
"I'm just tired, a day here working on the case and not out running around would probably be a good idea" Gail said.  
Traci smiled "We'll make Swarek take Fox to do any running around"  
Parade was over fairly quickly and they started going over the case. There were currently six victims that they knew of and from the pictures that had been taken by the hospitals and forensics, the suspect was violent.  
"So do we have any leads?" Gail asked as she looked through the statements. Most of them were taken by the attending officers, Traci and Sam had worked with three of the victims but two were reluctant to speak and the sixth had only just happened "We've got a basic description, blonde hair and blue eyes and tall, he wears a ski mask, has a deep voice and rough hands"  
"We figure the rough hands means he more than likely works some kind of trade, builder, carpenter, mechanic" Sam said "So far his attacks have been in the home so he's either following these women home or stalking them first"   
The blonde looked at her rookie, he hadn't spoken, was looking shocked and pale "Does he have a victim pattern?" She asked Traci  
"The six ones we know of are brunettes and between about 25 and 35, all live alone, all have been out late the night of the attack and were jumped after getting in the house" the detective explained.  
"Any signs of break in?" Gail asked.  
"No not at any of the scenes so far but plenty of signs of a struggle" Sam said.  
"So he's either getting in behind them, gaining access while they're out or just knocking and pushing his way in" the blonde sat back in her seat "Are they...." Gail started but her throat closed up at the question, she paused and took a breath "Are they drugged?" She asked with a nervous swallow.  
"They're fully conscious aside from whatever alcohol or anything they've had themselves that night" Traci answered watching her friend "Maybe this was a bad idea" she said closing the folder in front of the blonde.  
She stopped her and flicked the file back open "No it's okay, get me the addresses of the two girls you want me to talk to and I'll go" she went to stand and swayed a little.  
Traci grabbed her arm and sat her back down "I called both of them this morning, they're coming here" she looked to Fox who still looked like deer caught in headlights from the photos of the victims "Go make Gail a cup of tea and grab a few sweet biscuits, maybe a candy bar from the machine too" he shook his head to clear the images, nodded and left.  
"Have you eaten today?" Traci asked her.  
"I'm gonna go check and see if the first woman is here" Sam said and left.  
"Yes mom I have" Gail said back, once he was gone "I'm just tired okay" she said rubbing her head.  
"Maybe I should..." the detective started.  
"If you say call Holly I'm going to bite you, leave her alone she's got enough crap going on, she doesn't need to know every time I'm feeling a bit dizzy" she snapped.  
Traci just ignored the tone "Fine" she said putting her hands up "You drink the tea and eat the biscuits and candy, and I'll leave her out of it"

0-0-0-0-0-0

After the first interview was done, Traci came into the interrogation room where Gail was still sitting alone, the victim had been helped away by a family member a couple of minutes ago "We got some new information, that's at least one thing" she said trying to reassure her friend.  
The blonde looked up at her, holding a bottle of water "She's the victim and I just made her relive something she just wants to forget" she said "There has to be a better way than making these girls relive this" she said as she stood up.  
"If we could get a suspect to match the DNA we got from yesterday's victim this may not be necessary" The detective agreed as she walked out in front of Gail.   
"We haven't even worked out where he's getting them from" the blonde said as she stopped in the doorway holding onto it.  
"We will, we'll find a connection" Traci said as she headed to the viewing room.

"Trace" Gail said softly, the detective heard the bottle of water hit the ground and turned to see the blonde collapse.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly was just about to start processing the next lot of DNA for the rape case when her phone rang, it was Traci "I'm just processing that..."   
She was cut off by the detective "Holly" she said the worry was evident in her tone.  
The doctors stomach dropped "Is she alright?" She said pulling off the gloves as she got up and ran towards her office.  
"She fainted, she wasn't out for long but she's still dizzy" Traci explained.  
"Give me the phone" she heard Gail say in the background and slowed her run to a walk now she knew her wife was well enough to argue.  
"I'm fine, I just haven't eaten enough in the last couple of days, I'm not going to the hospital" she said.  
"Gail, yes you are, you let them take you right now and I'll meet you there or if I have to come and get you, I'll take you to see Rachel and make sure she puts you on bed rest for a month" Holly said, keeping her tone light. She knew it was reasonably normal for pregnant women to faint around 12 weeks but it didn't stop her from worrying that something else could be going on.  
There was a pause and then Holly heard Gail mumble something to Traci she couldn't understand "We'll meet you at Toronto General" the detective said and ended the call.  
Holly went grabbed her things, as she passed her bosses office she stuck her head in "Gail's just fainted, I need to..."  
"Go, let me know how she is, I'll see you tomorrow if your able to come in otherwise I'll work it out" he said with a wave.  
"Thank you" she said and took off.

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Holly walked into the Emergency Room she was directed straight to maternity and quickly found her wife "I'm fine, I was just sick yesterday and I didn't eat enough" she complained. She had a drip on and the doctor was examining her.  
"Hey" she said from the doorway.  
"Tag, your it" Traci said as she tapped her shoulder "I've gotta head back but update us when you can" she said and left.  
"Baby, can you tell him I'm fine" Gail asked as she held out her hand to the brunette.  
"How is she?" Holly asked the doctor as she slipped her hand against her wife's, linking their fingers.  
"Her blood sugar was very low, at this point I'm fairly certain that's the issue, her blood pressure is a bit on the low side as well"  
"So if her blood pressure is low it's unlikely to be preeclampsia?" the brunette asked.  
"You're a doctor?" He asked.  
"Forensic pathologist but I did work in hospitals too" she explained "So what's the plan?"  
"First to answer your question, yes at this point we can rule out preeclampsia because her blood pressure isn't high, She'll finish this and another glucose drip and we'll get her a bed for the night, she needs to be monitored to make sure she can maintain her sugar level"  
Gail tugged at Holly's hand "Can't I just come home?" She asked.  
"They need to watch you, I can't do what they can do here" the brunette said. She watched her wife for a few beats "Can we have a minute?" She asked the doctor.  
"Sure I'll go see about the bed" he said.  
"You started working on the rape case today" She stated as soon as he was gone "Sweetheart, it's probably half the reason you fainted" she put her hand on Gail's cheek "You really can't stay here tonight?" She asked.  
"Not without you" she answered "I just wanna go home" she said sounding small and broken.  
"Alright" she said stood up and kissed the blondes lips "Give me some time" she kissed Gail's hand "Try to get some sleep" she added as she released her hand and pulled out her phone as she left to find the doctor.

0-0-0-0-0-0

By the time Holly was done they were leaving the hospital, with Rachel's approval, another two glucose IV's, a sugar level tester, a wheelchair and a slightly more happy Gail. The doctors friend would stop in on her way home to check on her and the blonde was to check her sugar every hour for 24 hours then twice a day after that for a week and have a week off work.   
"You are not to move at least until Rachel comes" Holly said, she was sitting on the coffee table with her wife laying on the couch, the drip hanging from a pole the hospital had loaned them.  
Gail nodded "I'm sorry, I just caused, both of us, a whole heap of stress" she reached out and took her wife's hand "I didn't mean to scare you"  
Holly gave her a smile "Its okay, it's pretty common to faint around this time, the baby's doing some major growing and your body struggles to keep up the energy it needs" she put her free hand on the blondes tummy "We've just gotta make sure you both eat enough, now how about I call Matt to bring us some pasta for lunch?" She offered, truth was when she'd heard about Gail she'd called her brother who'd offered his help in any way.  
"Sounds great" Gail said, resting her head back "I miss his ugly face anyway" she said.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Really" Matt said standing over Gail, he'd come in to no Holly and his sister in law asleep on the couch "You haven't stressed my poor sister enough speed bump, you've gotta keep going" he said pointing to the IV.  
"Who let your ass in here?" She asked playfully with a yawn.  
"No one, I still have a key remember" he reminded her "So is everything okay?" He asked sincerely.  
"Everything's fine with the baby" Holly said from behind them "Its mommy needs to learn to eat food and not get herself too stressed out" she explained.  
"Glucose drip?" He asked pointing to it.  
"Yes sugar water for my veins" the blonde said.  
Matt shook his head "You sure they didn't add some LSD or something"  
Gail shrugged "I've always been weird on sugar"   
"Sweetheart, I love you dearly but you're just weird, with or without sugar" Holly stated.  
Matt high fived his sister "Nice burn" he said and got up "Look after yourself and my little niece or nephew" he said to Gail and kissed her head. Then he and Holly went to the kitchen.  
"Are you sure she'd okay, shouldn't she be in hospital with that drip?" He asked, obviously worried.  
His sister smiled "She's okay, her sugar dropped, I'm testing it every hour and Rachel will stop in tonight and tomorrow morning. If she doesn't maintain her sugar levels she goes back to hospital for further tests but she was sick yesterday and vomited most of what she ate then didn't really eat much today, otherwise baby and mom are doing good" she explained, she understood his worry, she was terrified herself that something could happen to them too "I'm making sure of that"  
He nodded "Call me if you need anything, even if it's just to talk" he said, he kissed her cheek.  
"I will" she said and he let himself out as she went back to sit with Gail.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ow" the blonde complained as her wife tested her sugar for what had to be the tenth time that day. Each time her sugar level had been normal "That stings" she whined as Holly squeezed the blood drop onto the testing strip.  
"Don't be a baby" she said as she watched the tester "Still normal" she said and packed it up.  
"How much longer are we doing this?" Gail asked as she cleaned the blood off her finger with a tissue "I'm starting to feel like a pin cushion"  
"Well Rachel said she's happy to let you go overnight without testing so..." the brunette looked at the clock "Maybe once more tonight and once in the morning before I go to work" the blonde opened her mouth to speak but Holly continued "Before you say anything, Matt is coming over in the morning to keep an eye on you then Traci has the afternoon off so her and Leo will be coming when Matt leaves for work" she picked up the rubbish and their dinner plates then stood.  
"I don't need a babysitter" Gail said folding her arms and laying back on the couch. Rachel had taken the drip off when she'd dropped by to check on her but she left the cannula in just in case they needed it. She said she'd remove it in the morning as long as she had no more issues.  
Holly smirked at her pouting wife "If you'd eaten properly today none of this would have happened my love" she kissed her lips and went to the kitchen "At least you don't have to work for the next few days, then we're going away"  
"Maybe you should take a few days and we could go down early, take a few days just us" the blonde suggested.  
The brunette looked at her from the kitchen "As much as I'd love to spend a few days with you in Niagara, I don't think Henry can convince Davidson to cover it"  
"Aren't they getting a new guy?" Gail asked as she flicked channels on the television.  
"Interviews are next week" Holly said as she came back in with a small tub of ice cream.  
"That's great baby" the blonde said with a smile, then she noticed the sweet in her wife's hand. "Aren't I suppose to be eating health though Doc?" She asked as the brunette handed her a spoon.  
"I'm your wife not your doctor so if I want to feed you ice cream I can, plus we need to keep your sugar up" she added with a wink as she sat down next to her, they both snuggles up together watching whatever show Gail had landed on.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"You can call in you know, you said Henry was okay with you needing time off" Gail said from the couch as her and her brother in law watched Holly running around the house getting ready for work.  
"I called him already, a call about a body came in from 27 and Davidson won't cover today. From the crime scene it might be a murder I need to go to the scene then do the autopsy even if I do take the day off" she said then stopped in front of her wife "Do you know where I put my note taker and I can't find my phone charger"  
"Your note taker is on your laptop in the office where it usually is and your phone charger is on the bench over there" Gail said with a frown. She looked to Matt who shrugged "And you're all worried about me" she muttered and followed Holly. Rachel had dropped in at 7.30, given the pregnant blonde a once over and declared her healthy. She took the cannula out of her hand and asked that they check her sugar level twice a day, just to keep an eye on it and to make sure Gail ate properly. Holly still insisted she have company while she was at work at least for today "Hol, Baby" the blonde said as she followed her into the office "You doing okay?" She asked, she stood in front of her stopping her from leaving.  
The frazzled brunette sighed "I'm just.." she stopped.  
"Talk to me or we are going to see Janine tomorrow and she'll make you talk" the blonde said slipping her hands around her wife's waist.  
Holly could feel Gail's baby bump pushing against her even though it was still fairly small, it was noticeable when they cuddled like this, the feeling of it calmed her a bit "I didn't sleep much and I'm still behind at work I just need some time to catch up and some time to breathe but I just don't seem to be able to get time to do either"  
"Okay, deep breath in and out" the blonde instructed as she held her. Her lover complied "Now, Matt and I will come pick you up for lunch at midday then when you finish tonight, you'll bring those unfinished files home and we'll get some Thai cos that's what the baby feels like and you and I will sit and go through them and get them finished"  
Holly smiled at her wife tiredly "You're the best, you know that don't you?" She said and kissed her softly "I love you" she added and dropped another kiss on her nose.  
"I love you too"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly spent over two and a half hours at the scene, as it was obviously a murder and the gunshot to the victims head meant there was a lot of evidence and she wasn't happy leaving it with the officers at 27 with supervision. After which, she headed back to the morgue, if she got straight to the autopsy she might be done when Gail and Matt turned up for lunch. She'd just placed her bag on her desk when there was a knock on the door. One of the interns was standing in the doorway "Dr Davidson said if he wasn't here to come to you if we had a problem with the equipment" the young man said as he shuffled nervously.  
Holly closed her eyes, if this took longer than a few minutes there is no way she'll be done in time "Show me what you've done" she said.   
She followed him to the room where most of the testing equipment was. He walked to the DNA sequencer "I put the sample in here and followed the instructions Dr Davidson gave me and it didn't work so I..."  
"If you finish that sentence with you changed the settings in anyway I may actually kill you" she snapped at him. The young man look terrified "Were you even shown how to use it properly?" She asked.  
"Well we were shown a video....." he started.  
"I can't fucking believe this" she muttered "RODNEY" she yelled, making the young man and the tech using the centrifuge jump.  
"Dr Stewart?" Rodney asked as he came in.  
"This..." she stopped, she was staring at the intern and took a breath "This intern has screwed with the settings on the DNA sequencer which we need to use every day so can you please call the tech and get him to come and fix it ASAP"  
"Sure" he said looking at her "Are you okay?" He asked.  
"Is Davidson in?" She asked still looking at the intern.  
"I think I just saw him go into his office"  
Holly turned on her heel, her anger no longer focused on the intern, it had a more deserving target. She walked quickly to the other doctors office "You are just a complete fucking joke aren't you" she said as she strode into his office, the door banging loudly on the wall, he looked up from his laptop "You expect the interns to do your work for you but you don't show them how to use the equipment properly, now because of you the DNA sequencer is out of action for at least today, maybe longer if we can't get the tech here"  
"It's not my problem Stewart, I'm not even on today" he scoffed at her.  
"IT IS YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM" she exploded at him "IF YOU'D TAUGHT THAT KID LIKE YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO, HE WOULDN'T HAVE SCREWED IT UP" she yelled stalking to his desk and banging her fist against it.  
Henry appeared behind her "Holly, I really think we should..."  
She turned and looked at her boss "What? Sweep another one of his fuck ups under the rug, make sure he gets the time off he needs to play golf?" She asked, then turned back to the man behind the desk "No, he's not getting away with this shit anymore, my pregnant wife is sick at home and I'm here because he doesn't do shifts outside his rostered ones, he's never on call..."  
"Look you fucking dy..." he started but stopped when he saw who walked in behind his boss.  
"Oh please don't stop what you were going to say on my account" Gail said as she moved into the room and stood next to her wife.  
The doctor sat behind his desk looking at the three people in front of him "Stupid fucking dykes" he muttered under his breath but they all heard it. The officer was around his desk and pulling him up by his collar before Holly even knew what had happened.  
"Gail" The brunette said to her very angry wife, knowing her fuse was still extremely short as she had only just started her new medications "He isn't worth it" the blonde released him roughly, making sure he fell into his seat. Holly reached out and pulled Gail over near her away from the, now terrified, man.  
Henry stepped forward "Dr Davidson, you are done here, effective immediately, clean out your desk and leave the building, your key cards and codes will be cancelled in an hour" he said "If you are not out by then security will escort you out" he said.  
"You can't, I have a contract..." he started.  
"One that you have already breeched on multiple occasions, the city wanted me to fire you weeks ago but I was waiting to get your replacement but this last act of incompetence and the slur I just heard you use towards our Senior Pathologist, who is technically your boss, is the last straw so again you have an hour to get out or..."  
"I'll make sure you're arrested for trespassing" Gail finished for him.  
"Holly, Gail can I speak to you both" Henry said gesturing that they leave the office. As they left he closed the door behind him.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They were seated in Henry's office, both women were given tea and told he would come back soon. Gail texted Matt letting him know they would be a little while and would explain when they could "You think you're in trouble?" The blonde asked her wife as she took her hand.  
Holly rubbed her head knocking her glasses askew "Maybe, I screamed at Davidson in front of the entire place, I've never even raised my voice here" she sighed "I can't believe.."  
"Hey" Gail said, straightening her glasses "You've been under a lot of stress because of him and I haven't exactly been a picnic lately, I'm not surprised you exploded" she said, trying to reassure her.  
"I was surprised it took this long" Henry said from behind them, he walked around them and his desk then sat across from them "So the tech for the DNA sequencer will be here first thing tomorrow, until it's fixed anything we need done will be sent to the lab downtown, the intern program has been terminated for the rest of the year, the interns on now will also go to the lab downtown. You can start your intern program next year sometime when you're ready to, no pressure" he handed her a piece of paper "You are on full paid stress leave until and including next Tuesday, I don't want to see or hear from you until Wednesday morning" Holly went to speak but he put up his hand and continued "We will cover both positions with locum pathologists while you're gone and in the interim I'll find someone to cover Davidson until we find a new hire, I'm going to apply to the city for at least one more employment because running this place on three forensic pathologist just isn't working anymore and I think we need at least five to completely cover the workload and allow for holidays, sick leave and emergencies"  
"So I'm not being reprimanded?" The doctor asked.  
"Heavens no" her boss said with a chuckle "We've used you Holly and that was mainly my fault, I should have made Davidson cover at least today so you could relax with Gail and for what he just said to you both, I'm terribly sorry"  
"We've heard worse and probably will again" Gail interjected.  
"I'm sorry that you heard it from someone employed here, you can head home and get some rest when you're ready" he said standing "I really am sorry" he said.  
"If things change from now on, I'll be happy and we can just move on from today" Holly said as both her and her wife stood.  
He held out his hand and she shook it "It will, from now on" he assured her.

0-0-0-0-0-0

On the way home Holly called Traci and let her know she'd be home so not to worry about coming over. The detective said she'd drop in anyway, she wanted to see Gail was okay herself. They picked up lunch from Matt's restaurant and headed home with the brunettes brother in tow.  
"So you screamed at your co-worker, he got fired and you got almost a week off work" he summed up her explanation.  
Gail chuckled as she ate her lunch, Holly elbowed her "Basically yes, we'll probably head to Niagara early for the wedding this weekend, that's if Rachel is happy for Gail to travel"  
"It's a couple of hours drive, it's not like we're going to England" the blonde said.  
"Better to be safe" Matt said and Gail kicked out at him.  
"Violent isn't she?" he chuckled to his sister.  
"No kidding I thought she was gonna punch Davidson after he called is stupid dykes" The brunette said.  
"Stupid fucking dykes" the blonde corrected and continued eating.  
"He said this in front of both of you and your boss?" Matt asked.  
"Yup" Gail confirmed.  
"Gail was on him before I knew she moved, she had him out of his seat by his shirt" Holly said giving her wife a small smile.  
"Seems pregnancy has don't nothing to calm your temper" her brother said.  
The conversation was stopped by Gail's phone, the siblings looked at her "Hey I'm on medical leave I don't know why anyone would call me" she commented as she pulled the phone out "Its Traci" she said, put her bowl down "Hey Trace, what's up?"  
"The case we didn't get to finish talking.." the detective started.  
"I can't do anything Traci I'm sorry, I'm on medical leave if I even set foot.." Gail couldn't continue cos Holly took the phone.  
"Traci, if you want her opinion on something bring it here, you know she's home for a damn good reason. Make it tonight cos were heading to Niagara tomorrow to make sure we both get a break"  
She said, she was annoyed that their friend and almost sister in law would consider asking the blonde to come in after her collapse the day before.  
"Alright, I'll drop round with the files and evidence after shift, 7 okay?" She asked unbothered by Holly taking over.  
"Sure that's fine, see you then" she said and ended the call.  
The blonde frowned at her wife and put the bowl of food on the coffee table "Was that necessary?" Gail asked.  
"She was about to ask you to go in and work on that rape case. You're not on holiday, you're on medical leave because you collapsed yesterday" the brunette said.  
"Who said I was going to go in?" The blonde asked.  
Matt could see what was about to happen but didn't want to speak because if he did he would become the focus of both women's anger "I know how convincing Traci can be with these things, I just.. "  
"Interfered, I'm pregnant not fragile" Gail pointed out.  
"Yea and you collapsed yesterday, you need to look after yourself for a few days or at least let me help" Holly said. The blondes phone rang again, Gail saw it was Traci and picked it up to throw it. Holly took it again before she could "We can't afford to replace iPhones every week" she said angrily.   
"For fucks sake Holly I'm not...." the blonde scoffed and stormed upstairs slamming the bedroom door once she reach their room.  
"You did kinda take over on her call" Matt pointed out after a few minutes of silence, even though he knew it was possible his sister might rip into him.  
Holly sighed putting her bowl next to her wife's, at least Gail had eaten almost all of her lunch before storming away "I know, yesterday was terrifying and exhausting, I just..."  
"You want to look after her and the baby I know, but she can handle her own work stuff, you could have at least let her say yes to going in before you steal her phone and make plans with someone who is essentially her superior, even if you are friends and almost family with her" Matt who had finished eating picked up the three bowls "I'm gonna give these a wash then head out, you go up stairs and talk to her, I don't think the stress is good for any of you" he kissed the top of his sisters head then headed into the kitchen.  
"You've had way too much therapy little brother" Holly said pointing at him as she headed up the stairs.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly stood outside their bedroom door "Gail, sweetheart?" She called out. When all she got back was a faint sniffle, she let herself in. The blonde wasn't on the bed, Holly glanced in the bathroom until she realised the sniffling was coming from the closet, she grabbed the tissue box from the bedside, she opened the door and saw her wife sitting, legs crossed on the floor at the back of the walk in, she had put on one of Holly's old College hoodies as she frequently did when she was upset. The brunette leant on the doorway "I know we had a fight but you really don't have to go back in the closet" she joked.  
"When are you gonna stop making that joke" Gail said with a small smile.  
The doctor moved in and sat in front of the blonde with her legs crossed and handed the tissues to her "Probably about the time you stop hiding in here"   
"The last time I came in here was months ago" Gail pointed out.  
"Honey, you're gay and you're hiding in a closet, if it was me you'd make the same joke" Holly said.  
"That's true" the blonde conceded as she played with the sleeve on the hoodie she had on.  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken over on your call with Traci, I should have let you handle it" the brunette said as she rested her hand over Gail's fidgeting ones.  
"It's okay, I was being unreasonable I should have just let it go" the blonde said "And I shouldn't throw my phone" she looked over at Holly "I'm sorry too, yesterday was scary and today was stressful, at first I was just gonna say that I didn't know we were definitely going to Niagara tomorrow then something in me made me snap"  
"It's okay sweetheart...." the brunette started.  
Gail cut her off "We both know it's not, I'm still struggling, I'll call Janine..."  
This time Holly interrupted "Give yourself and the new meds some time to work, we'll get online and book a hotel in Niagara from tomorrow until next Monday and just spend sometime relaxing, no work, no stress and no cases. Just you and me, well until Friday and Saturday for the wedding" she brushed the fingers of her free hand over the blondes cheek "If you feel like your still struggling when we get back we'll talk to Janine and Rachel about how you're coping again"  
The blonde crawled over and onto the brunettes lap, she buried her head in her wife's neck "I'm sorry I got upset" she whispered.  
"It's okay, I'm sorry I took over with Traci" Holly answered as wrapped her arms around her love "I love you" she said softly against her shoulder.  
"I love you too" Gail said "Very much"

0-0-0-0-0-0

A few hours later, Gail was asleep on the couch, with her head in Holly's lap. They'd contacted Rachel and she'd been happy with the blondes sugar levels and gave them permission to go away and enjoy themselves, when Gail had called out does that mean sex, the doctor asked to speak with the blonde and explained that was what she meant and unless she specifically says otherwise that sex was always safe while she's pregnant. She did ask that for the next week that they still monitor Gail's sugar levels twice a day and to make sure she eats regularly and reasonably healthy. Holly was watching a documentary on a wildlife in Madagascar and starting to doze herself when she was startled by a knock at the door. That was when she realised the time. She slipped out from under her wife managing to replace her lap with a pillow without waking her. She quickly made it to the door before she knocked again, she opened the door to see Traci and Steve "Hey" she whispered "Come in"   
"Why are we whispering?" The redhead man asked as he carried a box in.  
"Gail's asleep on the couch, I wouldn't wake her unless your planning on going home with a black eye" Holly warned him.  
After putting the box on the kitchen bench, Steve put his hands up "He's only here cos when he heard I where I was going, he wanted to tag along to see his sister" Traci explained.  
The brunette patted him on the shoulder "Trust me once the pizzas I'm about to order get here she'll be awake" she turned to Traci "Dining table would be the best place to set up"  
The brunette called in their pizza order and they set to work setting up the information on the case all over the table.  
"Maybe we should call Swarek and Fox, considering they are on the case" Gail said from behind them. The blonde looked to her brother "Why are you here?" She asked as she gave him a quick hug.  
"To see you, idiot" he poked her baby bump "You're starting to show" he grinned "How cool" he added taking the snark away that Gail was thinking.  
"Honestly, they already spent the day looking over the case, while I did the interview with the other girl and they couldn't find anything new" Traci pointed out.  
"Okay, I guess Holly, Steve and I are your new sets of eyes to view the case" Gail said, she was happy to to have Sam and Andy coming over anyway. She thought for a few seconds "Although, and I can't believe I'm gonna say this, it would probably be good for Fox to be here, to see how looking at a case like this from a different perspective can help sometimes" They all looked at Gail, Holly was beaming at her, knowing it wasn't easy for her to include the rookie after the fight they'd had, things were normal TO and rookie but inviting him into this would help to smooth the edges of their working relationship. Both Traci and Steve just looked at her "What?" She said "Its not like I'm a bad TO. Ask Oliver, the other day he wanted me to promise to stay training rookies with him and not do the detectives exam in a year or two" she said.  
Traci smiled "I can see why he'd want that" she said and elbowed Steve.  
He just coughed and was thankful when the doorbell rang "I'll get it" he said knowing it was the pizza.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They'd been going over the case details for about half an hour "Maybe we should start having these nights at the beginning of cases instead of when were to the point were running out of leads" Traci commented as she took a drink of the coffee in front of her.  
"You guys have done this before?" Fox asked.  
"Allen case" The blonde and her wife answered together.  
"Oh" he answered.  
"But we had less leads on that one" Traci added "This one we have DNA and a description, we just need to find a blonde haired, blue eyed, tall man who wears a ski mask, has a deep voice and rough hands" she said reading it off the file "We ran his DNA through the system, nothing yet but we've got Frank pulling some strings to run it through the American system just to rule out the fact he could have crossed the border" she explained before anyone asked.  
"We had DNA on the Allen case too" Gail pointed out as she bit into another piece of cold pizza.  
The detective ignored her, Steve spoke before she could "So he's following these women for a certain amount of time before attacking, the women are all similar looking so he has a certain type of victim" he said, bringing the conversation back to the task at hand.   
"He's been stalking the Westside of the city at the moment but he will run out of women that live alone and move on" Gail added as she read a file "We have no way to bring this guy out either, it's not like he stalks a club...." the blondes voice ran off as she read. She quickly started looking back through the files "I just remembered the girl I spoke to yesterday, Lucy, she mentioned she goes to the same gym four nights a week, she would go during the day but she works" she had all the files open on the table "She was on her way home from there when he grabbed her" she looked over the six files "Three of them go to the same gym" she said banging her hand on the paperwork.  
Traci snatched the file off her and looked at it "How did we miss that?" She asked.  
"I interviewed one girl yesterday, when I asked if there were any places she went to a lot, she said the gym was the only one she could say she was at a lot aside from places like her local grocery store, I only just remembered she said it, it's why I checked but linking the victims is rape or murder case 101. The three girls were interviewed by three different people, its understandable miss" she said, trying to ease her friends mind, but Traci still looked sheepish "I would talk to the other three before contacting the gym but it's a start"  
"So tell me again why you aren't doing your detectives exam?" Steve said.  
Gail leaned back and pointed to her belly "Maybe next year, I'm thinking I might be a sex crimes detective either that or Homicide, Frank's talking about talking to the big wigs about getting a sex crimes detective for 15 if I do it so I can stay at 15" all but Holly looked at her shocked.  
Traci shook her head, clearing the shock "He'd be stupid to lose you" she said "Well at least we got something so the night wasn't a total bust"   
"You really need to look at the links between your victims better" Fox pointed out.  
As Steve stood to punch him, Traci put her hand on his shoulder and got him to sit "We were actually not going to point that out" The Guns and gangs detective said "We all know a simple link was missed and by you too I should point out, you were looking over this all day, and it may not even lead anywhere, you can't really say they missed something unless it does pan out" he pointed out "And even if they do go to the same gym, he might not be a member so it may not be that cut and dried"  
Gail leaned over and slapped the back of her rookies head "New rule, don't point out the obvious to your superiors unless it's a life or death situation"  
Everyone else had a chuckle "Sorry" he said.  
"That's alright kid you've got Peck who happens to be my sister as your TO, believe me you're likely to say the wrong thing now and then" Steve said.  
"Stewart" both Gail and Holly said in unison.  
"Sorry, Stewart" Steve said, he gave his sister a look that told her he'd made the slip on purpose.  
They looked over the case for another hour and worked out some other things they needed to look at then everyone headed home. Holly and Gail finished tidying up and the blonde let out a yawn "Bedtime?" The brunette asked her wife, she was leaning on the bench in the kitchen after quickly washing up the plates.  
Gail came over and cuddled into her "Did you look at the hotels?" She asked into her shoulder.  
"Not yet, okay bedtime with the laptop" she said and kissed her "I think I'll grab a quick shower first" she added as she ran her hands up and down the blondes back.  
"So go shower, I'll lock up and grab the laptop and meet you there" Gail said stepping back.  
"Have a juice first" she said, she kissed her and headed for the stairs.  
"Have a juice" the blonde grumbled. She grabbed a glass and the bottle of orange juice as she did a jewellery box fell out of the refrigerator. She frowned, put the juice and glass down and picked it up, her free hand going to the other gift she'd bought her a few days before. She smiled but didn't open it. She still had a drink, she'd eaten the pizza and had lemonade, at least the juice was reasonably healthy.  
By the time she got upstairs, Holly was walking out of the bathroom, ready for bed "You haven't opened it have you?" She asked.  
"No, you shouldn't keep buying me things" Gail said, handing it to her.  
"If I want to buy my wife things I will. You frightened the crap out of me yesterday, I was so scared when Traci called me...." the brunette started.  
"I know I've really gotta tell my friends to learn how to tell you things, mind you they weren't much better with me when you had that accident" Gail said interrupting, she looked at Holly "Sorry, you were saying" she said realising she'd stopped her explaining and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.  
The doctor stood and leaned on the doorway "Anyway it made me feel sick and scared. I don't want to lose you or the baby"  
"I was scared too but I knew the Bub was okay, just I wasn't feeling the best, but what's this got to do with that?" She asked pointing at the box.  
"Nothing, I wanted you to understand how I felt, this" she said holding up the box "I just saw it when I bought the necklace and thought you might like it" she said handing it back to the blonde.  
Gail opened it, it was a dragon ring that the dragon was the part that made up the ring and it's tail wound up the rest of your finger, Holly knew her wife had a few eclectic looking rings and when she'd seen it she'd thought of her. Gail smiled at her "That's very cool" she said taking it out and slipping it on her finger "I love it" she said with the tooth brush still in her mouth. She quickly spat and rinsed then gave Holly a kiss "You are so wonderful" she said  
The brunette just smiled at her and shrugged "I just love you that's all" she said as she wrapped her arm around the blonde, used the other hand to turn off the light and tugged her towards their bed.  
"Why did you hide it in the fridge?" Gail asked, she pulled out of Holly's arms "I need to change" she said as she pointed to her T-shirt and sweats. The brunette released her, she grabbed the laptop and got into bed.  
"I don't know, something different, it was only small so I didn't really wanna make a fuss about it, I thought you may have thought it was cute" Holly explained as she booted up the computer.  
Gail took the ring off, put it back in its box and put it in her dresser "Normally I would have, I don't know I guess I was just thrown off by..." she sighed "it's frustrating I'm not a detective and neither are you but both of us seem to spend time helping Traci and Sam solve their cases" she said, a bit of anger behind her tone she said as she changed.  
Holly was watching her "I get why you feel that way, you've gotta remember that it's not just for them we do it, it's the victims and the potential victims" she pointed out "People like Anna" she added mentioning the girl her wife had saved, she'd almost said like her but the blonde hated being referred to as a victim.  
Gail stopped dressing "Yea" she sighed "I do know that, I..." she stopped and sat on the end of the bed.  
The brunette put the laptop down and scooted forward, she put her legs either side of the blonde and her arms around her waist "Honey, you're tired, you haven't felt great and I'm not sure tonight, even though successful, was a great idea"  
"Hol.." Gail started.  
Holly interrupted her "I know you're not gonna break or anything like that" she said as she rested her chin on the blondes shoulder "Wether you like it or not, you are pregnant, that means this baby" she said resting her hand over it "Is going to zap everything you have, yesterday is proof of that. You've gotta rest, make sure you eat enough and some of the right things.." she kissed her cheek "You unfortunately can't keep going the way you have been, missing meals, overdoing it at work" Gail relaxed into her "I know you don't like hearing this stuff but it's true.  
The blonde sighed "I know baby. Yesterday frightened the crap out of me too, believe me I'll try to be better at this stuff, remembering to eat and resting" she said as she fully rested back against her wife "I'm sorry I didn't listen or at least take some of this more seriously"  
Holly rubbed her belly "I'm sorry that I nag you, I just..."  
"Worry, I know" Gail who was only wearing a shirt and underwear, stood up and pushed her wife backwards onto her back and straddled her hips "I adore the fact that you worry about me and our little bug" she picked up Holly's hands and linked their fingers "I love you" she pulled the brunette up and kissed her.  
"Gail.." Holly said as she pulled out of the kiss.  
"Rachel said sex is fine" the blonde protested.  
The brunette chuckled, she wrapped their linked hands around Gail's back "That wasn't what I was going to say" she said "I was going to say that we need to book somewhere to stay in Niagara tomorrow" she explained with a chuckle and kissed her.

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The next morning, the couple were fast asleep when the house phone rang. Holly picked up the extension in the bedroom "Hello" she said softly, Gali was still asleep in front of her. She checked the time it was just after ten.  
"I'm sorry, I tried both of your mobiles and there was no answer" it was Traci.  
"It's fine, I think they're both downstairs and we just stayed up a little late" the brunette said, they'd spent a couple of hours making love after organising their accommodation in Niagara for the rest of the week and over the weekend until Monday.  
"I just thought you'd like to know Gail was right, they all go to the same gym. We're looking into all the employees and members, none of the employees fit the description but we're checking them anyway"  
"That's great" Holly said quietly, trying not to wake her wife up.  
"Say thank you to her" the detective said.  
"I will"  
"I'll leave you to it, have fun while you're away" they said a quick good bye and Holly ended the call and put the phone back on its base. She snuggled back into a very naked Gail, wrapping her arm back around her and resting her hand on her belly.  
"That was Traci" the blonde said, her voice husky from sleep.  
"Yep" the brunette confirmed as she started kissing Gail's neck.  
"I was right?" The officer asked as she reached back under the blankets and squeezed her wife's bare ass.  
"Yup, Traci said thank you" Holly said as her hand moved from Gail's belly to her breast. The blonde moaned as the brunette brushed her fingers gently over her nipple "Then she said to have a nice time when we're away" Holly said as she moved her hand from Gail's chest to her thigh, she lifted her lovers leg up and rested it over her own.  
"Enough talk about work" the blonde groaned.  
"How about I talk about how hot you are" the brunette whispered in her ear. Her hand moved slowly down her inner thigh "Or how completely fuckable you look every morning that I get to wake up next to you"  
Gail moaned as Holly fingers met her already wet folds "Hol" she moaned out.  
"You're already wet baby" she said.  
"Please" the blonde whimpered as she teased her a little, just moving her fingers against the slick skin.  
"It's okay my love" Holly said, she moved so she could wrapped her free arm around her "I've got you" she said and then spent the rest of the morning worshipping her wife's body until the need for food became to great. After breakfast, well it was more like lunch, they finished packing and headed to Niagara to destress and spend quality time together.

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I hope you enjoyed this one. I will try once again not to take to long. To answer someone's query, no Fox isn't up to anything he's just very star struck by Gail and Holly and come on, who wouldn't be.

Definitely more to come, leave a comment, let me know what you think.


	26. Chapter 26

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I’m so very sorry for how long it’s taken for me to get this posted. Life or pain gets in the way, sometimes even depression gets in the way cos I feel like it’s not good enough. Anyway it’s not anything I need to talk about. I thought I’d make sure I got this and K9 updated before Christmas. The K9 one should follow in the next day or so. I Hope you all have a great and safe holiday period and remember I have no plans to abandon my stories. It might take me ages to update but I’ll come back... I’ll inform you if I was done with them. Which I’m not, especially this one, still lots of ideas.  
Anyway on with the story.

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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.

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Chapter Twenty Six

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Gail slept most of the way to Niagara. Holly spent most of the time singing along to the stereo. When they were about ten minutes away from their hotel, the blonde woke up. She had her head to the side resting on the headrest and was quietly watching her wife sing. After a minute or two the song finished "Why don't you sing when we do karaoke?" She asked,  
Holly jumped and put her hand on her chest then turned the music down "You scared me" she said and sighed.  
The blonde smiled and put her hand on the brunettes leg "Why don't you do karaoke with us?" She asked her again.  
Holly smiled "I don't think I can compete with you and Traci" she said "You're the singer in this family" she added and picked up Gail's hand that was on her leg and kissed the back of it.  
The blonde linked their fingers "Sorry I fell asleep" she said looking at her as she rubbed her thumb across her hand.  
The brunette glanced at her and smiled "That's what this is for, you to rest and us both to relax, you were doing both so I thought I'd leave you to it" the smile turned into a smirk "I did wear you out this morning"  
"Yes you did Dr Stewart and I'm really hoping to spend at least some of this week doing a lot of the same thing" Gail said with a smirk of her own.  
"I'm sure we can arrange that Mrs Stewart" Holly agreed with a smile.

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As Holly checked them into their hotel, Gail looked out the big windows at the nearby falls. Over the years of visiting the falls and the places around it, she'd done the touristy things, this time was just for them to relax and spend some time together, without everyday stresses "Gail" the brunette called.  
The blonde smiled and headed over to her "Sorry I spaced out"  
"It’s okay, Come on, our room is upstairs" she said dragging both suitcases, she'd insisted on taking both bags so Gail wouldn't carry anything.  
Once they were in their room, Holly put their suitcases on the stands as Gail checked out their room "Big bath" she said from in the bathroom "definitely have to try that"   
The brunette came up behind her and rested her hands on her belly "Yes because it's not like we don't have a big bath at home" she said the sarcasm dripping from her tone.  
The blonde took her hands and linked their fingers "I know but that one is bigger and our little bug is growing and so am I, we won't fit our tub together much longer"   
"Well we'll just have to start having showers together instead" Holly said as she wrapped their joined hands back around her wife "Now would you like to leave the bathroom and we'll go down and have something to eat at the hotel cafe before our booking at the spa?"  
"What booking at the spa?" Gail said, releasing her hands and turning around.  
The doctor rested her hands on the blondes hips "Since we are both under instructions to relax this week until Oliver and company arrives on Friday, I've booked us a couples deluxe relaxation package for this afternoon" Gail pulled a face as she put her arms around her wife's neck "Its nothing weird, just massages, manicures, pedicures and a mud bath"  
Gail raised an eyebrow "Mud bath?" She questioned.  
"It's good for your skin" Holly said and kissed her nose "I want to spoil my pregnant wife, in six months time doing these kinds of things will be a lot harder, you should just embrace it" she added and kissed her lips.  
"You're right" the blonde agreed "Lets go eat something sweet then get pampered" she said as she released the brunette and headed for the door, Holly chuckled, grabbed their room keycard and followed her wife.

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“If I ever complain about getting a couples package at a spa again just shoot me" Gail said with a moan as she sank further into the warm mud bath, they'd been manicured and pedicured then massaged and now were relaxing in warm mud baths right next to each other. When they had been offered champagne, Gail’s course declined but insisted that Holly indulge if she wanted to. The brunette was currently sipping champagne while the blonde had lemonade.  
"I could have had lemonade too" Holly said as she rested back after having a drink.  
"Baby, you didn't even drink at our wedding because I was pregnant, you can have a glass or two when you want, you know I don't mind" Gail said as she reached out her muddy hand which her wife took and linked their fingers.  
"I know I just feel bad" Holly admitted.  
"We both know when we met I was bordering on being an alcoholic with the amount I was drinking, being with you, gave me a damn good reason not to be that way and with the baby it just keeps me clean of the stuff for at least a year or so" she squeezed the brunettes hand "You don't have that problem so if you want to drink now and then I'm happy for you to" the blonde smiled "Plus I happen to like it when my tipsy and flirty Holly comes out to play now and then"  
Holly blushed crimson "Shush you" she said but still had another sip of the champagne. The brunette was very proud of the fact that her wife could talk about the problems she's had with alcohol more freely now. She'd worked so hard to get the point she can at least talk about things "I'm proud of you" Holly said looking over at Gail.  
The blonde blushed a little herself "What can I say, love is a powerful motivator to get better" Gail wiped the mud off the back of the brunettes hand with her towel and kissed it "You're worth it" she added.  
They both settled back. Hand in hand relaxing into their mud baths.  
After almost an hour soaking in the warm mud, in which Gail fell asleep for at least fifteen minutes, they were offered a hot shower together and were taken back to their room, still in robes via a private elevator. Holly opened the door to their room, as the blonde went past her, she grabbed the lapels of her robe and tugged her into the room, the door automatically shutting behind them "We have dinner reservations in half an hour" the brunette pointed out as she took both of Gail's hands preventing her from opening one or both of their robes, she did give in and kiss her though.  
"Where at?" The blonde asked, trying to decide which she wanted more, the food or her wife. Before being pregnant, the choice would have been her wife with no hesitation, but now, food was coming very close to being just as important to her.   
Holly smiled "The buffet restaurant just downstairs which has seafood, steaks, chicken, pot roast, basically anything you feel like" she said, she had already double checked that and there wasn't any bacon or pork being served tonight.  
Gail squeezed her hands, her stomach won out "Well I guess we'd better get dressed" she said, she gave her wife a quick kiss and headed for her suitcase. Holly chuckled and went to find her own clothes.

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Gail was out cold when Holly woke fairly early the next morning, between both their jobs her body clock was use to getting up at this time. Her pregnant wife however, for the moment anyway, could sleep anywhere for however long she wanted as long as she wasn't disturbed by nightmares. She glanced at the clock, it was just after six and way too early to wake the slumbering blonde. She managed to slide out from underneath her, replacing her body with a pillow and got dressed into some gym clothes. Holly wrote a quick note for Gail letting her know where she would be, grabbed her phone and one of the room key cards then left to head downstairs to the gym. There was two other people when she entered, she'd thought about just going for a run outside but she'd rather stay close to where her wife was after her collapse earlier in the week. She did five miles on the treadmill, did some free weights then jumped on an exercise bike she was just hitting ten miles when a hand rested on her back and lips touched her ear "Come here often?" Gail's silky voice sounded in her ear.  
"No, not usually" she said not breaking her ride, although her foot had nearly come off the pedal when the blonde had spoken in her ear.  
Gail moved and leaned on the wall in front of the bike "You could have woken me" she said as she yawned, covering it with the back of her hand.  
"You were out cold Hun, I'm not waking my sleeping pregnant wife because I wanted to work out" she stated, she looked down at the screen in front of her. She slowed and stopped pedalling "Eleven miles will do" she said grabbing her towel and wiping the sweat from her face. The blonde stepped forward and before she could get off the bike wrapped her arms around the sweaty woman "I'm all sweaty" Holly said but didn't pull away.  
"I don't care, actually I like you all sweaty" she said, dropping her voice low as she looked the brunette up and down before the doctor could speak she pulled her down into a kiss. She pulled back and released her "Come on, lets get you showered and back to bed" she said as she turned and left. Holly smiled, got off the bike and followed her out.

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A day later they were disturbed from an afternoon nap by Gail's phone ringing. Holly quickly tried to get the phone before it woke the blonde, who was laying over the top of her, as she had been grumpy all morning thanks to a rough night full of nightmares "Hello" she said softly.  
"Did I wake you?" Celery asked "I'm sorry, Oliver said to make sure I didn't call this morning but it sounds like I've woken you anyway, I'm sorry”  
“It's okay” Holly said “We've both just been trying to rest” she explained.  
“I'm calling because I'm actually in Niagara already and was wondering if you wanted to have dinner?” The other woman asked.  
“You’re here alone?” The doctor asked.  
“Yea until a friend of mine, Ollie, Sam, Andy and a few others arrive tomorrow night. I have a few things to do get finalised before Saturday” Celery explained.  
“Everything okay?” Gail asked sleepily as she half sat up, then laid back down, obviously not completely awake.  
“Text me your room number and we’ll meet you as soon as we're up and moving” the brunette said.  
“Great” Celery said. Holly gave the other woman her cell number and said good bye.  
“Why did you give some one your number?” Gail asked looking up at her from her chest with one eye open.  
“It was Celery, she's here alone until tomorrow night and wants to have dinner with us” Holly explained as she put phone back on the night stand and settled back down with her wife.  
“Oh” the blonde said as she cuddled back up to the brunette “What time?” She asked with a yawn.  
“She's texting me her room number and I said we'd go over once we were ready” Holly explained, she frowned at the blonde “You heard me give her my number but not why?” She enquired  
“I only tuned in when I recognised your number” Gail explained with a shrug “I thought she was coming with Oliver” she stated.  
“Me too” the doctor said as she rubbed her fingers up and down the blondes back “She said something about having things to do before Saturday”   
“I don't want to get up” Gail stated with a yawn.  
“I can ask her to come here if you need” Holly offered, looking at her wife concerned.  
“Nothing's wrong” the blonde stated “I'm just tired as usual”  
“Maybe…” the brunette started and was cut off.  
“I'm fine Holly.... God” Gail growled at her and got up, she went in the bathroom and slammed the door. When Holly heard the shower start, she sat up on the edge of the bed and sighed. She needed to talk to her now, before this blew up, between the PTSD and pregnancy hormones the brunette knew she needed to tread a bit more carefully sometimes, she loved her wife with everything in her so she would always be patient with her when it comes to her issues, as long as she keeps getting help.  
Holly got up and pulled herself out some clothes as they had both been wearing sweats. She knocked softly on the door, when there was no answer she tried the handle which was unlocked “Sweetheart?” She said softly. Gail had her back to her and didn't answer. The brunette quickly undressed, she opened the door to the shower “Can I join you?” She asked.  
“Your choice” the blonde sighed.   
Holly slid in behind her and wrapped her arms around her “I'm allowed to be worried about you” she said as she kissed Gail's bare, wet shoulder “Both of you” she added as she put her hands over the blondes growing belly.  
Gail sighed again “I know” she said “I get it, I do, it's just since…” she trailed off, not realising what she was saying until it was coming out her mouth.  
“Since what?” Holly prompted softly, she grabbed the bottle of her wife's shampoo and started washing her short hair, massaging her scalp to try and help her relax.  
“Hmmm” Gail murmured in appreciation “Since Perick and all that happened, everyone's treated me differently, like I was gonna break but you never have, even when we deal with my problems with my PTSD. But now, ever since I've been pregnant I feel like you're scared to let me out of your sight”  
The brunette took her by the shoulders and gently turned her around. Gail understood what she wanted, stepped back under the spray and started rinsing her hair out for her “In my defence, twice lately, you needed to go to the hospital, one of those times you came to me but you still got hurt and the other time you fainted then refused to stay in the hospital for observation” The blonde looked at her, Holly pulled the conditioner down and put some in her hand “If you'd stop doing things that frighten the hell out of me maybe I wouldn't be so worried about you all the time, never mind the whole Allen case”   
Gail moved closer and her wife put the conditioner in her hands on the blondes hair “I’m sorry” she said wrapping her arms around the other woman “I didn't think about it that way, I just…”  
“I know, there's not need to apologise or try to explain, I've been with you through all of this and I know you have trouble with impulse control sometimes and your mouth frequently goes into gear before your brain does”  
“Yea but that's just me normally without issues” Gail pointed out, she closed her eyes as Holly massaged her head.  
“Oh I'm quite aware of that” the brunette said and dropped a kiss on her nose “I'm not perfect either Gail, sometimes I don't have good impulse control, look what happened at work this week, I think sometimes we both need to take a breath and step back before speaking”  
The blonde opened one eye and looked at her “Janine keeps telling me when I get that urge to say something I know I'll regret or I should just not say, that I should count to ten before I say it and if I still think it's worth it then say it” She explained.  
“Maybe we should both do that” Holly suggested.  
“Alright so the next time your trying to get me to rest or just make sure I'm okay, before I explode at you, I'll count to ten”  
“And I'll try to dial back my worry a little” the brunette promised and kissed her lips again. She moved them both under the spray and rinsed the conditioner from Gail's hair. After finishing she tugged her wife flush against her and kissed her deeply.

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It was almost two hours before they contacted Celery. The other woman wasn't worried, she knew why the couple had left to come to Niagara early and would have understood if they had completely knocked her dinner invitation back. They were holding hands as they made their way through the hotel to the other woman's room “I was thinking tomorrow before were suppose to meet up with Oliver and the others for drinks once they get here that maybe we could go spend some time shopping, maybe get a few things for the baby” Gail said.  
Holly looked at her and frowned “Really?” She asked, the shock in her voice was hard to miss.  
The blonde, slapped the brunettes shoulder “Your acting like I don't like shopping”  
“I know you love spending money, my love, it's not that. It's more that your willing to get up and go out specifically to go shopping before the afternoon on a day you don't have to work” Holly explained with a smile.  
“Excuse me for enjoying not having to get up first thing in the morning” Gail said with mock indignation and a chuckle “Really, I just feel like going and buying my wife and baby some things” she said a little more serious.  
“Okay, whatever you want to do” Holly said as they came to a stop in front of the lift. As they waited, the brunette released her hand put her arm around her wife and pulled her into her side. The blonde rested her head on her shoulder.  
As they waited an elderly couple came up beside them “It's such a lovely view” the woman said pointing to the windows that showed a view of the falls.  
“It's is” Gail said, it was the one she'd admired herself “We'd go down and do he maid of the mist tour but my stomach probably won't handle the rocking until after this ones born” she added putting her hand on her belly.  
Holly frowned at the blonde, Gail never really got into conversations with random people, especially elderly people as they usually took it as a open invitation to keep talking, she shook her head and smiled, just listening to her talk “Congratulations, when are you due?” She asked.  
“October” the blonde told her.  
“Is it you and your wife's first?” She asked.  
Gail looked up at Holly and leaned more into her then looked back to the lady “Yea, we both wanted to carry it but my job allowed for the time off more than hers at the moment”  
The lift arrived, Gail released the doctor and both couples stepped in, the older man and Holly shared a look of ‘I'm sorry’ as they stepped on, the brunette took the blondes hand “oh What do you do?” The elderly woman asked.  
“I'm a police officer for the Toronto Police and Holly is a forensic pathologist, she works for the city in Toronto” she explained.  
The elevator dinged “This is our floor, it was lovely to meet you, good luck with your baby” the elderly lady said as she and her husband walked off.  
“Thank you” Gail said just before the doors closed.  
“What was that about?” Holly asked as soon as they were alone “You never talk to random people unless it's to tell them off” she added as she faced her.  
The blonde shrugged and blushed “I don't know, that was a bit weird” she said “I actually couldn't tell you, she just seemed nice I guess”  
The brunette shook her head “This baby is doing a number on you isn't it” she said taking her other hand.  
“Hey if I'm being nicer to other people, should you really be complaining?” Pointed out honestly, as she moved into her wife's arms.  
Holly smiled at her as their joined hands were now behind the blondes back “Probably not, hopefully it'll last while we're hanging out with Andy over the weekend” she said and kissed her.  
“We can only hope” Gail agreed.   
The elevator dinged again and the doors slid open “Celery’s floor” Holly pointed out, she kissed her nose and led her out into the corridor.

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They decided between the three of them to go to the bar downstairs in the hotel “So have you enjoyed your time off so far?” Celery asked the couple as they found a table.  
“It's been very relaxing” Holly said “Hopefully we’ll both be back next week with batteries fully charged” the brunette said as she took a sip from the beer bottle in her hand.  
“Are you sure you don't want a drink?” The bride to be asked the blonde.  
Gail shook her head “No I'm good” she was looking at the menu that was on the table “I am starving though” she said.  
“Common side effect of pregnancy” Celery said with a smile.  
“Order whatever you want, Sweetheart” The doctor said as she reached over and rested her arm across the back of the blondes chair, she looked at the menu over her shoulder “Just grab me some fries too”  
“What happened to eating healthy and being careful with my sugar” Gail said, she rubbed her hand over Holly's thigh.  
“Well I don't see your doctor around” the brunette said with a smile.  
The blonde gave her a kiss “Celery, can I get you something?” She asked offering her the menu.  
The other woman took it “Just a Caesar salad if that's okay” Gail stood up, she gave Holly another kiss, a smile and left, her wife watching her go “Pregnancy looks good on her” Celery said getting the other brunettes attention.  
Holly turned back and smiled “It does but then I'm bias, I think she looks good all the time” she looked back towards the blonde.  
“It must kill you every time she goes on shift” the witch said “I know I worry until Oliver comes home everyday and he's not carrying my baby”  
The doctor chuckled at the thought then had a long drink of her beer, she put the bottle down and looked to Celery “I worry every day, I did before she was pregnant and it got worse after she was hurt trying to catch James Allen” she looked over at Gail who was still talking to the bartender “Yea it scares me because she is stubborn, bullheaded and will run into situations before considering her own safety. The thing is that all these things are part of the reason I fell in love with her to begin with, I would never ask her not to be who she is”  
“How do you deal with it?” The other woman asked.  
“I just do, I talk to people, I talk to Gail about it, I talk to her therapist, well I'd say she's more our therapist now but the point is you need to tell him how you're feeling”  
“This….” Celery started but stopped, knowing there was no point denying it.  
“If you're scared you need to tell him” she said more directly, knowing exactly what the bride was feeling.  
Gail sat down, holding a glass of lemonade, a beer for her wife and a glass of wine for their guest “If you're talking about the whole he's a police officer and you're scared of losing him thing, then yes you need to tell him” the blonde agreed as she sat down, they both looked at her, a little shocked “And no I didn't really hear you talking, Hol gets this look about her when it's bought up”  
The brunette frowned at her lover then shook her head “Anyway, it's something you two need to deal with”  
“We did, well I thought we had, when he was taken by that Ford man and ended up in the hospital, we talked about it. He even offered to quit but I couldn't let him do it. He loves his job and you guys” she said pointing at Gail “I just…. As the wedding got closer it's just getting scary again, I'm going to be marrying a police officer, this is going to be my life every day. Waiting for him to come home and if we have kids they'll be waiting too, just like his girls are already”  
Gail looked to Holly who put her arm around her wife, they'd been through it, the conversation happened regularly especially since they'd decided to start a family “I can only talk for us but it honestly never gets easier, you just work out your own ways to deal with it” the doctor said, she looked at Gail “You either love them enough to understand and be a part of their world or…” she stopped, not wanting to say it. She gave her wife a lingering kiss and moved back in her seat, leaving her arm behind the blonde on her chair, her fingers gently rubbing her across her back. The officer put her hand on the doctors leg, both needing the touch.  
“The “or” part of that sentence isn't an option, I love him way too much to leave him for this” she said with a sniff.  
“Good” Gail said “I didn't wanna have to hurt you for leaving him at the altar” she added and sipped her drink.  
The two brunettes chuckled, after that the conversation lightened considerably. By the end of the evening they were smiling and laughing as they made their way out of the bar. They walked into the foyer of the hotel “Do you want us to walk you to your room?” Gail offered as her tipsy wife wrapped her arms around her and placed kisses on her neck.  
Celery smiled at the couple “No I can manage and you look like you have your hands full already” she said with a chuckle “I'll see you tomorrow when the others arrive, have a good night”  
“You too” Holly said as she started tugging Gail towards the elevator to their room.  
“Oh and thanks for listening” the other woman added.  
“Anytime” The doctor said, yelling in the blondes ear.  
“Ow” Gail said and hit at her playfully as Celery disappeared into her own elevator.  
“Sorry” Holly said with a smile, she moved her hands from the blondes waist down to her belly “How's our little bug doing?” She asked running her hands over the small bump as the elevator doors opened  
“It's doing good, mind you it would be doing so much better if we had some late night dessert from room service” Gail said as she manoeuvred them inside.  
“Whatever my beautiful wife and my unborn child want, tonight, your wish is my command” Holly said dramatically as the doors closed.  
“Right now, I want a bath, some chocolate type dessert then you” the blonde said and turned in the brunettes arms “In that order” she added.  
“And what would you want me to do?” Holly asked as her wife's hands started unbuttoning her shirt.  
“Make love to me” she said and tugged her into a heated kiss. When the elevator dinged indicating their floor Gail left her in there and made her way to the door to their room “Are you coming baby?” She asked acting innocent but knowing the effect the sentence would have.  
“After you do, maybe” Holly said to herself with a grin and jogged to catch up with her wife.

0-0-0-0-0-0

After a session of heated love making that went way past midnight and then a few early morning nightmares, Gail was still out cold when midday rolled around. Holly had been down to the gym and done a full workout. She grabbed them some breakfast for them at the cafe but ended up eating it alone while she went through her emails, answering the important ones as the blonde was still asleep. Holly waited until lunchtime before disturbing her pregnant wife. She crawled onto the bed and over the top of Gail, who was laying on her side “Sweetheart?” She said softly. Gail didn't even flinch and her soft snores continued uninterrupted “Gail, Honey?” She said, brushing the hair from her lovers face.  
“Mmmm” the blonde groaned, her eyes fluttered open and focused on the brunettes face “Morning Beautiful” she said, her voice still rough with sleep. She shifted her arm out from under the covers and wrapped her arm around the woman on top of her.  
“Well it's actually afternoon” Holly stated, she slipped her hand inside the blankets and found the swell of Gail's belly “I figured after last night you and the bug could use some rest” she brushed her fingers over the blondes cheek and brushed noses with her “Seems I wore you out” she said then dropped a kiss on her lips.  
Gail's other hand came up to Holly's cheek “What time is it?” She asked and kissed her again.  
“Almost 12.30” the brunettes answered “I figured you'd want to be up a few hours before we meet Oliver and company for drinks this afternoon”  
“How about instead of me getting up, you come back in and join me” the blonde said as the hand at Holly's back slipped under the fabric of her shirt, her hand brushing up and down on her bare back.  
The brunette looked down, she knew her wife was naked under the covers and it was very tempting to stay where they were “I was thinking maybe we could go to that cafe near the falls and then maybe take a walk along the lookout”  
Gail ran her hand through Holly's hair “I guess after last night the sheets could use a change and I need a shower” she said, she pulled the brunette in for one last kiss “Okay, let me up, I'll be ready in five”  
Holly gave her a quick peck on the lips “Ill bet it's closer to twenty” she said as she got up.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Thirty minutes later they headed out, hand in hand. Within about fifteen minutes they were seated inside the cafe next to a large window, overlooking the falls “Its a beautiful view” Gail said as she looked out at the falls.  
Holly looked up from her menu “It is” she said looking at her wife “I'm more partial to the one sitting across from me. I could look at you all day” she whispered smoothly.  
Gail blushed heavily “Hol” she said grinning.  
“Pick your lunch Mrs Stewart” she said “Then maybe we could find some time to continue our activities from last night before we have to meet Oliver” The blonde blushed darker, she picked up and studied the menu “Celery was saying last night that there's a couple of officers that he went to the academy with are coming, they're from 22nd division” Holly said.  
Gail looked up “I know he went with Sam, Jerry and Noelle but I don't know any others” she stated. “I know he's keeping the guests to a minimum so they must be important to him” she looked at the menu then back to the brunette “I'm really not sure why we’re invited though” she said as she started fidgeting with the menu.   
Because of the amount of confidence her wife showed to most of the world, sometimes she forgot how much reassurance she still needed, Holly smiled, she reached over and put her hand on Gail's “He loves you, you've been through a lot together” she thought for a minute about how best to explain it to her, then continued “If your dad wasn't here anymore and you wanted someone to walk you down the aisle, who would you ask?”  
The blonde linked her fingers with her wife's “Oliver, yea okay maybe I understand a little” she said rubbing her fingers over Holly's knuckles “I guess he is a bit of a pseudo father for me sometimes, we've talked to each other about the things been through” the blonde looked at the table and spaced out.  
“Gail?” the brunette said, noticing her vague stare “Sweetheart?” She added, getting concerned.  
The blonde shook her head “Sorry” she said and blushed and she looked at the menu, gripping slightly harder onto the brunettes hand.   
Holly watched her as she looked over the menu, she wasn't sure if she should ask about the space out or just let it go. The decision ended up being made for her when the server came back to get their orders. The brunette decided to leave it alone, it was more likely to be because she was tired than anything else and their conversation about her worrying too much, also helped her decide. They enjoyed their lunch, just relaxing, enjoying each other company and the view, afterwards they started taking a walk around the falls “Is there anything else you wanna do while we're here, I mean our shopping trip today went to the wayside, we can do it Sunday or Monday before we head home” Holly offered as they walked hand in hand.  
Gail tugged her into her side, letting go of her hand and slipping her arm around her under the brunettes jacket. Holly wrapped her arm around the blonde as they continued walking “Sounds good to me, maybe we should do it on the way home, I'm sure there's a few baby places between here and home” she suggested.  
“We could look some up. I got a call from my mother this morning suggesting we stop in and see Jill and the girls” Holly said.  
“Was me breaking my hand on that assholes face too subtle for her?” Gail grumbled as she stopped and looked at her.  
The brunette couldn't help but chuckle, she gave the blonde a quick kiss “You'd think so, it's alright I told her there's no way I'm putting either of us under that much stress when we’ve both just had time off work to reduce our stress levels”  
They continued walking “I get why she keeps pushing, don't get me wrong” the blonde started “I just think it's a bit too soon yet, maybe after Andrew gets arrested by the fraud squad, we can try to fix things with Jill”  
“So they've got enough to arrest him now?” Holly asked.  
“From what my mother told me after our engagement party, they already had enough to arrest him then, they wanted to keep digging to see what else was there so it's been only a matter of time until they arrested him” Gail explained.  
“Oh” the brunette said, slightly surprised “You didn't mention it”  
“I didn't see the point, they still haven't put out a warrant for his arrest, if I hear anymore, I promise I'll keep you updated” the blonde assured her.  
“Gail?” A voice called out to them before the officer could continue talking.  
The blonde turned and frowned then she smiled “Taylor?” She asked.  
“Yea” the mystery red head said “God it's been years, so the rumours are true” she said pointing to the woman she was clinging to.  
“Taylor this is Holly my wife, Hol this is Taylor, we were on the same tour in Europe about 9 years ago then we shared a place in a town not far from here for a couple of months after Nick, until I bit the bullet and went home to join the academy” the red head had looked Gail up and down as the blonde spoke.  
“Nice to meet you” the brunette said, something about the way this woman was watching her wife put her on the back foot. Her thoughts were confirmed a few seconds later.  
“You're looking really great Gail, maybe you and I should catch up while you're in town” she said all but ignoring Holly standing her arm still wrapped around Gail and the blonde still snuggled into her.  
The doctor spoke before anything else could be said “We’re only here for our friends wedding, we took some extra time off during the week so Gail could get some rest cos the morning sickness was getting to her, plus the festivities start in a couple of hours” Holly rested her free hand over the covered bump, not letting Gail reply, something she would probably pay for but right now she didn’t care.  
The statement had the desired effect, this Taylor woman stopped looking at the blonde like a piece of meat and her eyes were focused where the brunettes hand was sitting “Oh” she said, now her interest was gone, she wanted out of the conversation “I should get going I'm late for work” she said and disappeared.  
The couple stood there for a few seconds. Gail looked at Holly from her spot at her side, she moved out from under her arm, turned her head and kissed her softly for a few seconds “You didn't have to do that you know” she said softly as she ran her thumb over the brunettes cheek “Even if I'd realised who I really was all those years ago, I still wouldn't have been interested in her, you are the only one for me, my darling jealous wife” she said and pecked her lips again.  
Holly raised her eyebrows “I thought I was in trouble because I interfered” she stated, still shocked the blonde wasn't annoyed with her.  
“When it's work yes, when it's bimbos that you feel are crossing a line or you're defending my honour, feel free” Gail said then she snuggled back into Holly, her arm clinging tighter.  
“I'll remember that” The brunette said as they started walking again.  
“Plus you are pretty hot when you're jealous” the blonde added as she slipped her hand into the back of Holly's pants, brushing her fingers teasingly just under the waistband.  
The brunette checked her watch “If we head back now we could probably have a nice long bath and maybe do a few other things before we need to meet up with Oliver and the others” she stated.  
“Sounds like a solid plan to me” Gail agreed and Holly turned them around and headed back towards the hotel.

0-0-0-0-0-0

“So nice of you to join us” Oliver said playfully to Gail and Holly as they joined them at the table they had at the bar, almost an hour late.  
“What can I say, I married a beautiful woman that I can't get enough of” the blonde said as her wife pulled her chair out for her. She gave her a wink and sat in the chair next to her.  
“Yes yes and we are all very jealous” Oliver stated for her benefit “Now these two gentlemen over here are Officer Ben Johnson, he's a TO at 22 and Detective Charlie Kennedy also from 22nd division. I went to the academy with these bums as well, so don't believe a word they say”  
“So we should pay attention and repeat their stories then” Gail said as she slipped her hand into Holly's.  
“Probably” Celery said “This is Diana and Kathryn, my best friends in the world” she said pointing to the two women next to her.  
“Nice to meet you, I'm Holly, this is Gail” the brunette said.  
“Holly as in Holly Stewart from the lab?” Charlie asked.  
“One in the same” Holly said as she took a sip from the beer that Oliver had the waiter place in front of her.  
“Maybe I should have gone down the lab myself more” he said with a chuckle.  
Before either woman could react, Oliver slapped him on the back of the head “No, Gail and Holly are a not here for your amusement, we've already been through this, if you can't be respectful, leave them alone”  
Both Gail and Holly looked at each other, trying hard not to laugh “Are Swarek and McNally still coming?” The blonde asked. As Oliver came around and squatted down between the couples chairs.  
“Yea, they had a few things to finish up before coming down Oh and with that rape case, they're closer to finding him thanks to you. They're staking out the gym over the next few weeks and putting a few women in undercover, hopefully they'll get a lead from it, maybe even him” he explained quietly.  
“Enough work talk” Holly said to both of them “I'm sure we all have lots of other things to discuss” she pointed out.  
“Speaking of which” He said and turned to Gail “Okay darlin, I need to ask you a big favour” he trailed off emotionally, then cleared his throat “I want to ask you to be my best man” he asked.  
Tears immediately sprang up in the blondes eyes as she threw herself at him “Of course” she whispered huskily in his ear.  
“We both know who I would have asked but that's okay, you, Gail Stewart, are the best person I know so I want you to be standing next to me tomorrow” he said and winked at Holly over the blondes shoulder “The man who made the suit I wore on my first date with Celery, made my suit for tomorrow and is meeting you at your room at 10am tomorrow morning to do a fitting and make you one before the wedding”  
“What about Swarek?” She asked when she finally pulled away and found her voice.  
“He's not you” he said with a shrug, he kissed her forehead “At least now you don't have to worry about what to wear” he said as he stood.  
“Before you say anything, were paying for the suit” Holly said, Gail shot a look at her “And no I didn't know anything about it until he emailed me this morning asking what I thought and not to say anything cos he wanted to surprise you”   
The blonde relaxed a bit and wiped away the tears “I'd be honoured” she said.  
Oliver leaned down and gave her a hug “Thank you” he said and stood back up “Okay, next round is on me” he said.  
Holly handed him some money “No it's on us” she said.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The pre-wedding drinks were in full swing when Andy and Sam finally turned up. They'd had food and a steady stream of drinks going most of the evening. Holly had offered to Gail to stay sober with her but the blonde assured her wife it didn't bother her. She then ran her hand up Holly's thigh and said she enjoyed horny drunk Holly from last night and would be more than happy to have a repeat of the steamy love making they'd enjoyed. The brunette had been careful to keep herself just buzzed and to not over do it, looking forward to another night of loving with her wife. They'd migrated down the table a bit to join in a conversation with Celery and her friends about weddings and babies when the late comers arrived. They were greeted enthusiastically by a drunk Oliver and sat near the officers from 22. Andy was next to Holly and Sam was next to Andy. Not long after, Andy had moved to the top of the table to join in the women talking and Holly heard the men bring up the Allen case. It only piqued her interest because of Gail's issues with it, when the blonde didn't notice she began to tune it out until she heard a question and became focused on it again.  
Charlie had seemed very interested “So you were the detective working the case right?” He asked.  
“Yea my partner and I” Sam answered.  
“But how did you work out it was Allen I mean weren't there multiple suspects and no solid evidence really pointing to any singular person or did you just get lucky with that officer pulling him over?” This question had gotten the doctors attention.  
“There were two suspects and it was my instinct that it was him. With the officer it was just blind luck that she saw that girl in his truck but I knew it was him as soon as I saw his picture” Sam said, not realising he could be heard.  
“What the actual fuck” Holly said loudly, stopping all the conversations on the table “So the great Sam Swarek captured James Allen based on the instinct ‘He’ had when he saw his photo and Gail who actually recognised him as soon as her pulled up at the Alcohol stop, took the time and risked her life identifying him, checking the tray of his truck and finding the girl was just blind luck am I getting this right?” She said “Is this how it went down in the mind of ‘the’ Sam Swarek?” The brunette was furious, they wouldn't have stopped him when they did had it not been for Gail.  
Sam had a deer in headlights look about him “Sammy, really?” Oliver muttered, disappointed but not shocked.  
Ben looked to the doctor and nodded, he didn't care for Sam and wasn't going to screw up any rapport he could have with one of the cities best forensic pathologist for him, it would make dealing with the lab easier just by knowing her “That's what I understood”  
“Gail and I worked our asses off for that case, Gail was the one who picked him from his picture weeks before and told you it was him. She also put her own life on the line to apprehend him, she was off her feet for seven weeks with her injuries, she's lucky she didn't lose her leg, any more damage and she might have” she said as she leaned over the chair between them, her tone was even but there was fury behind it “And you are sitting here in front of us claiming it was you who broke the case, you wouldn't have had a case against him if it wasn't for us, you ignorant ass” she got up and pushed the chair out of the way, she took as step towards him but felt an arm around her waist and her wife's belly pushing in her back, she let her pull her back a step but pointed her finger at him “I never ever want to see you in my lab again if I do I'll call security, don't ask me or Gail to help you, off duty, to solve a case again. Why don't you start doing your own fucking job properly and call the fucking sex crimes detective in before another poor girl gets attacked” she finished. She took a breath and looked to Oliver “I'm sorry, I think we should head back to our room and leave you guys to it, I think I've done enough damage” she looked to Andy “I'm sorry” she said added sincerely.  
“Lets go” Gail said as she released her, they both grabbed their purses and headed out of the bar towards the lifts, hand in hand.  
Before they could talk, Andy and Oliver walked over “Wait” McNally called out.  
“No It's okay, Andy really, this isn't about you at all” Gail said, honestly “Go back enjoy your night” she said as she cuddled into Holly.  
“It's not okay” the brunette officer said “Claiming he broke the case when he didn't and probably wouldn't have without both of you was petty and juvenile” she added.  
Oliver pushed the button for the lift “We’ll walk you to your room at least” he said.  
The blonde looked between the two of them, she instinctually knew, due to the pairs behaviour, there was more to this “Is something going on?” She asked as the elevator opened and they all stepped on. Holly pushing the button for their floor.  
“Sam got a visit from SIU today to do with the rape case” Andy explained as the doors closed “Traci contacted the Sex crimes detective the day you two drove down here, after missing the Gym connection, she felt like they were in over their heads, he got angry with her and took all the files”  
“It's not the first time he's been pissed because someone else was in his investigation” the blonde stated.  
McNally nodded and continued “The thing was the sex crimes detective didn't want to take over, they'd done most of the ground work so she just started by trying to work the case with them, at first he refused to cooperate then Frank had a few words with him and he gave up the files”  
The lift stopped on their floor and they headed down the corridor, Oliver took over the story “After that, they worked okay until their was another victim, the detective stated she needed to be the one to interview the victim but Sam interfered, he deliberately had a rookie run interference so both her and Traci would be delayed and he took over the interview, he pushed her way too hard trying to get her to identify him and the girl completely shut down, she's still in hospital sedated, even if she had seen his face, she wouldn't be in any fit state to testify. He's been removed from the case and suspended until SIU finish looking into it”  
They arrived at their door, Holly held it open for them and they all walked in “So his arrogant approach to policing has caught up with him?” She stated as she closed the door and pulled a bottle of water from the minibar.  
“Basically” Andy said “Its put a huge strain on our relationship, I'm going back to staying at my own place and I'm not sharing a room with him here” she said “I was the one who stopped him questioning the poor girl” she said with a sigh.  
They all stayed quiet for a minute until Gail, who was the only one sitting on the couch in the living room of their suite, broke it “Why didn't you mention this when you told me about the case earlier?” She asked her former TO.  
“I didn't see the point since you're off until Wednesday, I didn't think he would say anything, let alone claim he caught James Allen” he explained and looked to the doctor “I'm sorry this happened”  
“Not your fault, I'm certainly not holding either of you responsible, I do intend to make his life difficult” Holly said “Not enough to be unprofessional of course, just be enough of a pain in the ass that he won't want to personally set foot inside my lab”  
Oliver gave her a smile “I fully support that option, I love Sam like a brother but his ego has been running the show for a while, he’ll probably face a suspension after the one he's on now and be made to have therapy”  
“He needs to grow up” Andy stated “I might go back down to the bar and see if he's still there, if he is I might call it a night too” she said standing “I'm sorry about this Gail” she added, looking at the blonde.  
Gail rubbed her hand through her hair and looked over at the woman she had decided to call a truce with months ago, her initial instinct had been to attack her but she was getting better at fighting that “It really is fine McNally, no harm done, we’ll see you after lunch tomorrow at the wedding”  
“See you all then” she said and quietly left.  
Holly flopped down next to Gail “Don't you have a bride to spend time with?” She pointed out to the man still standing in front of them as the blonde cuddled into her.  
He gave her a grin “Trying to get rid of me Doc?” He asked.  
“No, flat out telling you to leave” Gail stated with a smirk.  
“Fine” he said with a dramatic sigh “I know when I'm not wanted in a room cos the two other people wanna get it on” he said “Don't forget the tailor will be here 10” he said pointing to the blonde “Night Ladies, love you both” he said as he opened the door.  
“Love you too” they called back in unison before the door closed.  
“Wanna go find a barrel, put Swarek into it and throw him over the falls?” Gail offered.  
“As good as that sounds, we can't” Holly said as her hand disappeared up the back of the blondes sweater and undid her bra with one hand “I was thinking more along the lines of, you, me and that bed in the other room” she tilted Gail's head up and kissed her softly “Or we could have a bath” she offered as she pushed her backwards so she was laying on the couch, she slipped her hand under her sweater and moved it over the bump and up towards her breast “Sweetheart?” She asked wanting her opinion.  
“Just bed” the blonde said, there was something in her voice that made Holly hesitate her hand stopped and moved back to cover the swell of her wife's belly.  
“Is everything okay Honey?” She asked, she was leaning over Gail, to give her some space, she moved down so her upper body resting over the blondes legs.  
She sighed and rested her own hand over Holly's that was still under her shirt. She didn't want to talk about it, she hated talking sometimes because it seemed like they had to do it so much with her problems “I….” She rubbed her hand over her lovers hand on her belly and sighed again “Its nothing, I'm just pissed at the whole thing. I honestly really don't want to talk about it, I promise we can sit down after the wedding and discuss it all Sunday but right now, I just wanna go in the bedroom and spend the rest of the evening making love” she said.  
Holly watched her for a second, she knew Gail well enough that she was telling the truth, that she wasn't upset, just angry “Alright beautiful” the brunette said, she slipped her hand from under the sweater and cupped the blondes sex.  
The blonde gasped and went to grab Holly's wrist but the doctor was already up and standing next to her with her hand out, Gail took it and she tugged her up and off the couch “Come on my love, let's get you to bed” she said as wrapped her arms around her and they headed into the bedroom.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Gail was up early the next morning, her brain wasn't letting her sleep, she couldn't seem to keep her thoughts at bay long enough to get some more sleep. Every so often they'd overwhelm her and she felt like she couldn't breathe but would manage to calm herself, then it would start again. She gave up and left Holly in bed, something that she usually couldn't do but lack of sleep had caught up with the brunette and she didn't even stir when she moved out from under her arm. She quickly showered, dressed and went out into the sitting room of their suite. She made a cup of tea and turned on the television. She spaced out at it for five minutes when her head started on her again. She shook her head, she'd had a bad night. She'd woken almost every hour with nightmares, she managed not to disturb her wife every time, something that would piss Holly off but as much as they were here to relieve her stress they were here to reduce the brunettes as well. She picked up her cup of tea and dumped it in the sink. She rinsed the mug, wrote Holly a quick note, grabbed her bag and left to go for a walk. She headed out of their hotel and around to the falls. She walked around to a lookout and sat down on one of the seats provided. She closed her eyes and just breathed in the damp air. The sound of the rushing waters started to finally calm her down, she smiled to herself, maybe they should invest in a little indoor water fountain, an outdoor one would be frozen for a good part of the year. She looked down and realised one hand was resting on her belly “Well little bug, you have one screwed up mommy but I promise you this, it won't stop me from being the best I can be for both you and your other mom. She's the real strength, she’ll keep us both on track” Holly stood a little distance away, watching and listening to her wife she felt like she was intruding but couldn't bring herself to move away as Gail continued “She's the reason I'm still here you know, there were times before where I might….” She trailed off “You don't need to know that but she makes me want to be better, you make me want to be the best” she added as she rubbed her belly. She stopped and looked out over the falls.  
“Hey beautiful” Holly said walking over, her hands in her jacket pockets, figuring it was a good time to interrupt her “I got a little worried when I woke up alone” she stated as she sat next to the blonde who instantly cuddled into her side. The brunette pulled her hand from her pocket and wrapped her arm around the blonde.  
“I had a bad night and just felt like I couldn't breathe this morning” she explained then looked up at Holly “I'm sorry I worried you, also, how did you find me?”  
The brunette kissed her nose “I took a guess, you've been gravitating towards the falls everyday, wether it's at the windows or out here. I figured if I didn't find you out here, I'd call you” Gail turned back to the falls and cuddled back into Holly “I actually woke up just as you left but after I read your note, I took a shower before I came to find you” she rubbed her hand up and down her back “Is this something we need to talk about?” She asked softly.  
The blonde sighed and put her hand on the brunettes leg “You know how I said before we came down here that I think I should talk to Janine about the fact I was still struggling?” She started picking at some lint on her wife's jeans.  
“Yea and I said to give yourself time” Holly already knew where she was going with this “You still feel the same?” She asked.  
Gail looked at her and nodded “I know some of its my hormones but I'm starting to understand the difference between that and my other problems” she explained “I just don't feel like I'm stable, I had to come out here this morning to stop myself having a panic attack” she said as her eyes went back to the water “I'm not sure why but coming out here and just listening to the water helps”  
Holly wasn't sure where to go with the information, she already knew by the fact that her wife had been glued to her side a lot during the trip that she wasn't doing very well emotionally “We can head home on Monday and see Janine before we go back to work on Wednesday” she stated “I'll call her while you have your fitting” she suggested.  
“Okay” Gail said still looking at the falls.   
“Gail” Holly said, getting the blondes attention “Why didn't you just wake me this morning, or last night because I know you woke up more than I did” she stated.  
Tears welled up in the blue eyes looking back at her “I just…” she sniffed and put her head on the brunettes shoulder “I wanted you to get some sleep, I….” She trailed off.  
Holly shifted and turned making Gail lift her head up, she took her head in her hands and stroked her cheek with her thumb “Listen to me” she started “We are a family, we are partners and you are everything to me” she dropped one hand down to the blondes belly “You and this baby are my whole world. If you can't sleep then I want to be sitting next to you playing video games or watching silly movies or whatever you need to do to feel better. Don't do that again” she finished firmly.  
“Okay” Gail agreed, she leaned forward and kissed her wife. She pulled back and they gazed at each other for a second “Can we buy an indoor fountain on our way home?” The blonde asked.  
Holly raised and eyebrow but grinned “If you want to but can I asked where the sudden need for one came from?” She asked as the snuggled back together with Gail tucked back into her side.  
The blonde looked up at her and nodded “The main reason I keep looking at the falls is I find it peaceful. Watching and listening to the water helps my mind go quiet, I'm hoping if we have one of those little electric water fountains at home it might do the same thing. I mean it makes me wanna pee a lot too but I just think it might help a little” she explained nervously, slightly concerned that the brunette might think she's crazier than usual.  
“Water does have a calming effect, I'm all for having one if you want one” Holly said “We’ll shop for one of those too”

0-0-0-0-0-0

“Nerve wracking isn't it?” Gail asked Oliver as they stood, finishing getting ready in the older mans room.  
“This is my second go at this, I think last time was worse because at least this time I'm very sure she's who I'm meant to be with” he said as he fixed his tie in the mirror.  
“I panicked” Holly said from the bed, she was dressed in a black dress, she had planned on wearing a suit but decided to go buy a dress to go with her wife's suit. She chosen a below the knee, fitted black dress with a dark blue jacket that matched her wife’s tie and vest.  
Gail looked to her and smiled “We actually exchanged vows in our rooms before our parents arrived because Holly was so worried it wouldn't happen” she explained.  
Oliver raised his eyebrows “Gail would have done anything to make sure it did, she eventually realised how good things were with you, that she loved you and that she would do anything for you” he said pointing at one of his best friends “I knew the way she talked about you from the start that you were the one”  
The couple exchanged a quick glance and smile, Gail looked at her watch “We need to get over to that little chapel or she's gonna beat us there” the blonde said.  
“You ready?” Holly asked him as she took Gail's hand.  
“As I'll ever be”

0-0-0-0-0-0

Oliver and Gail stood waiting for Celery at the front. The few guests sitting in the front row of the small chapel, including Holly, who the blonde was just in awe of “She is beautiful” he said to his best man to get her focus back.  
“Sorry” Gail said and blushed “I just…”  
“Get lost in her a lot, I get it” he said “I feel the same, believe me”  
“Why did you pick me?” she asked.  
“Because you are one of my best friends” he said “Unless you want me to give you a hyper emotional speech where we both cry a lot then stop asking me” he joked.  
“Okay” she said with a smile, before they could say anymore the doors opened and Celery walked in. The next hour was a blur of vows and photographs.  
Once they were all seated in the bistro of a nearby pub, neither bride nor groom were interested in having a big sit down dinner or wedding so they'd rented out the back room of the pub for the few guests they did invite, including Oliver’s girls who'd been bought down by the grooms mother. Gail insisted on Holly sitting next to her so the idea of a true bridal table had gone a bit to the wayside.   
“You doing okay?” The brunette had asked her wife when they sat down after getting drinks. She knew from what was said that morning that she would still be struggling. She was watching the Newlyweds interact with Oliver’s girls.   
“Yea, focusing on Oliver is helping, I’ll say one thing though” Gail said, she looked at Holly “You can have the next baby, this hyperemotional crap while they're trying to sort out my meds so they keep me even with the pregnancy and dealing with the bullshit that comes along with being pregnant, no thanks, your turn next time”  
The doctor JustBricks smiled, in the 14 weeks the blonde had been pregnant she hadn't really complained like she thought she would. She leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss “I love you my beautiful wife” she said softly, as she ran her fingers over her cheek.  
Gail was shocked into silence “I love you too” she said and slipped her hand into Holly’s and leaned into her. The physical contact helping to keep her emotions and panic at bay. They'd contacted Janine who they'd made an appointment to see first thing Monday morning so they'd be cutting the trip short by a day. The blonde wanted to try and get her emotions more controlled before they both went back to work.  
They spent most of the evening cuddled together at the table, Andy had come to speak to them as had just about everyone aside from Swarek who spent most of the time at the bar. As it turned out he'd assumed he would be Olivers best man and hadn't been happy when he'd learned of his friends plans to ask Gail. It had been part of the reason he'd claimed he'd solved the Allen case, to piss the couple off, he just wasn't betting on everyone taking their side.  
When they played he first dance song, Oliver pulled the couple onto the dance floor, they joined them gently swaying, never moving far from each other. The groom did take the blonde for a little while “Everything okay?” He asked.  
“Pregnancy hormones, a rape case and PTSD aren't a great combination but I'm getting there I have an appointment with my therapist first thing Monday” she said “Otherwise, everything is great, better than I could have hoped for” she said looking to her wife who was dancing with Celery.  
“I know what you mean” he said, winked at her and headed back to his own new wife.  
The reception went on, their cake was cut and there were speeches. Gail refused to do the best man speech at first because she stresses about public speaking to the point it will make her vomit. Left to think about it over the day, she decided to do it, its not like it is a huge group of people. She stood up after Oliver spoke “I've known Oliver since I graduated the academy and was placed at 15, he is the most genuinely nice person I've ever met, if it wasn't for him I may not have had the chance to marry the love of my life” she looked next to her and took Holly’s hand “We've been through a lot together to the point I owe him my life” She sniffed trying to hold back tears “As you all are aware he found through the job, like most of us do, the person for him. He was smitten from the first day and I had a feeling we'd end up here. So I don't know how much sense that all made but the gist of it is, Oliver is awesome so is his new bride so let's just toast the bride and groom” she said  
“To the bride and groom” the room said  
Before Gail could sit she was pulled into a hug by Oliver which Celery joined from the side of them “We love you too Darlin” he said, the emotion heavy in his voice “You've saved me too” he whispered.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It wasn't long after that Gail had started to get very tired. After the late night, her disturb sleep and early morning she was exhausted. They made their excuses, said their goodbyes and headed back to their hotel. Oliver and Celery understood completely and were just happy that they'd been there and the blonde had been his best man on such short notice.  
They walked the short distance to their hotel, hand in hand with Gail hanging onto Holly's arm with her free hand “Have you enjoyed the time here?” The doctor asked.  
“Yea it's been lovely having some time for us, we should go up to the cabin before the little bug is born, have some more, just us, time” the blonde suggested.  
“Sounds wonderful, we might not get much alone time after its born” Holly said wistfully.  
“Honestly, I don't care, well not right now, I'm looking forward to us being a family and having our baby” Gail stated.  
“You miss Sophie don't you?” She asked, reading between the lines.  
“I do miss her, I miss the idea of her, the idea of bringing her into our family too” the blonde explained as they walked into their hotel.  
“I know what you mean” they didn't need to reassure each other that the way things happened was for the best “We can offer to have her over for dinner one night next week. My work this week was covered so there shouldn't be too much to do when I go back”  
“At least he's finally realised he’ll lose you if they didn't do something about Davidson and the fact that they need more pathologists” Gail said as she pushed the button for the lift then let go of Holly's hand and wrapped her arm around her waist.  
“True, at least now when I have a day off I won't get calls to cover his on call shift” The doctor agreed. They chatted as they made their way up to the room. They'd walked in and Holly went and put her jacket on a hanger, she came back out to Gail looking out the window at the lit up falls. Her hands were in her pockets, her jacket was pushed back and the way the shirt and pants sat with the suspenders, made her look a little further along in her pregnancy than she was. The brunette smiled at the sight, she didn't think she'd seen a more beautiful sight, aside from the blonde in her wedding dress of course. She stood watching her for a minute then walked over and slipped her arms around her and rested her hands over her belly “Have I told you just how beautiful and sexy you look in a suit, I think if you'd worn one at the wedding I would have jumped you the second I saw you”  
Gail took her hands out of her pockets and rested them over Holly's “You jumped me in the bathroom during the reception anyway” she pointed out.  
The brunettes hands started to unbutton her shirt “That's true” she said as she kissed her wife's neck.  
Gail reached back and stared to tug up the bottom of Holly's dress, when she got under it and found her lovers ass she realised it was bare aside from a thin piece of material “A thong” she groaned.  
“Yes” Holly said into her neck.  
“Lets go to bed baby” the blonde said, she pulled away and led her wife to the bedroom of their suite.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Monday morning came quickly, Holly was up before Gail, she'd put the coffee maker on and gone for a quick run. By the time she was back the blonde hadn't even moved in bed. The brunette smiled as she grabbed her clothes for the day and headed for the shower. She'd just finished washing when the curtain opened and Gail stepped into the tub “Just thought I'd save water” the blonde said and kissed her softly. It was almost an hour before the emerged from the bathroom.  
“Breakfast?” Holly asked after she finished pulling her hair up.  
“Just some toast” the blonde said “I don't feel like much” she said as she looked through the closet for clothes.  
Holly knew what that meant, her wife was having a bad stomach day, they'd stick to more bland foods for the day so they didn't set her morning sickness off “Toast coming up” she walked over and kissed Gail then headed downstairs.  
The blonde appeared ten minutes later, wearing maternity jeans and one of Holly's university hoodies “You have your own clothes you know” the brunette commented with a smile as the other woman sat on a stool at the bench, she placed a piece of buttered toast in front of her and a mug of coffee.  
Gail shrugged, she knew she was joking “Yours are more comfortable and they smell like you” she stated and took a bite of her toast “What times my appointment?” She asked.  
“11 so we have about an hour” Holly said “You wanna go early, see if we can get that fountain you wanted” they'd looked for one on the way home but didn't find any Gail liked, they'd bought plenty of stuff for the baby of course.  
“Sounds good” the blonde said, she took a mouthful of coffee “I wish we could have more relaxing mornings like this” she reached over and took her wife's hand.  
“Me too, we've both got a few weeks off before the baby comes, we’ll get more time” she said rubbing her thumb over Gail's hand. She knew the blonde was still feeling out of balance. She'd offered to get the other medication that had been prescribed but her wife wanted to see Janine first. She understood and supported her decision.

0-0-0-0-0-0

“So how was Niagara?” Janine asked the couple as they sat holding hands in front of her.  
“Well it was nice to get away and the wedding was lovely, I was even asked to be best man” Gail explained but left the sentence hanging.  
“I feel a ‘but’ coming on” she joked, trying to lighten the pending moment a little.  
“I’ve been having nightmares, arguing with Holly over nothing and been borderline having panic attacks over the past couple of days. I’ve managed to hold it back but just barely” Gail explained as she sat playing with her wife’s hand. She was turning her wedding and engagement ring around.  
“The fact that you’ve managed not to have an attack is a positive step, you’ve used the techniques we discussed?” The therapist asked.  
“Yea, they kind of worked, I managed not to go into a full attack but I still couldn’t get myself to calm right down, I need to have Holly there for it to stop completely” the blonde explained “I can handle it when other people are around or something else to focus on but I don’t truly calm down until I’m with her” she stated the emotion heavy in her voice.  
“How does that make you feel?” Janine asked, she knew the answer and the question was an obvious therapy one but the blonde needed to talk about these things for the sessions to work.  
Gail sighed and looked at Holly, a sadness behind her eyes “Terrible, it’s awful that I’m so dependant on her”  
“Honey” the brunette said “It’s not ideal but it’s not terrible or awful, I’ll be there whenever you need me no matter what, you know that”  
“I do” the blonde said “I just don’t want to have to do that, I want to be able to stand on my own feet too”  
“How long have you felt like this? The borderline panics and the arguing for nothing, the nightmares we know can be triggered by almost anything that your brain connects with the traumas that caused your PTSD” Janine said interrupting the conversation between the couple.  
Gail thought for a second “Since...” she paused for a beat “Since I changed meds because of the baby” she said as she started to cry. Holly shifted closer and wrapped her arm around her lover who settled into her side  
Janine smiled “Gail” she reached over and rested her hand on Gail’s knee “This isn’t all you, it’s the mix of the hormones and your PTSD and I can help make things easier for you” she pulled her hand back and stood up, she grabbed the blondes file from her desk “I was talking to Rachel during the week, I had a feeling this would happen” she sat back down opposite the couple “The reason we didn’t want to treat your PTSD heavily to start with it was because a lot of women who suffer with it that get pregnant can have a reduction in their symptoms, sometimes the baby will actually help. In your case, it hasn’t happened unfortunately” she watched the blondes face change and she seemed to get more upset “It’s okay though, we just need to manage your symptoms a bit better and you both need to come to me if you feel like you’re struggling at any point” she looked to Holly “Even if you think Gail’s not coping, I need you to contact me so I can adjust things”   
“So I’m not going crazy?” The blonde asked, tearily.  
Janine grabbed the tissue box from the nearby side table and handed it Holly “No not at all, if anything, it’s my fault for not treating you aggressively enough, when I spoke to Rachel last week we both wanted to give your body a bit more time to possibly reduce your symptoms but it didn’t. I called her when you contacted me on the weekend and we’ve come up with a treatment plan that should have you feeling better in a couple of days” she explained “I’m sorry you’ve felt like this”  
Gail sniffed “Its fine, I just want to feel more normal”

0-0-0-0-0-0

An hour later as the couple stood to leave, Janine asked to see Holly in her own appointment before she returned to work on Wednesday so the brunette was booked in for a late appointment the next day and they went out to get in the car “Do you feel a bit better?” Holly asked as they climbed into the SUV.  
Gail shrugged “I feel better now that I know it’s just the baby and not getting worse or anything. Right now I’d just like to go home and curl up in front of the tv with you and some cookie dough ice cream” she said as she did up her belt.  
“We can do that, I googled a few places that have the small indoor water features, I figure we can go and have a look tomorrow before my appointment” the brunette suggested as she started the car “I should also look for a car for me one of these days so we don’t have to keep dropping each other at work”  
“I like getting some extra time with you in the mornings” Gail said took then kissed her hand “And anyway you like taking mine to crime scenes”  
Holly pulled the car out onto the road “That’s true, it won’t be practical once the baby comes, I want you to be able to go out if you want and not have to get up early or stay up late to pick me up” she explained   
“I guess we can have a look online and see what around before we decide anything” the blonde offered.  
The brunette smiled, she knew her wife hated change, when Holly had broached the subject of moving into a bigger place in a more suburban area, Gail stated firmly she liked the area the townhouse was in and it wasn’t a bad place to raise a baby. She understood why, change scared the blonde and until it was necessary the brunette was okay with going along with it. Most of the time Gail came around once she knew it was for the best “We can do that, you know I love research” she agreed with a wink.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Holly walked into Janine’s office late the next afternoon. She’d contacted Kira to bring Sophie over after school to keep Gail occupied while she was gone. The blonde knew what she’d done straight away and called her out on it but then reassured her wife that she’d done the right thing. Gail and Sophie were playing a driving game on the PlayStation when she left. Holly sat down to wait for the therapist to finish with the patient before her. She only had time to check a few emails before the door opened and she called her in “How did last night go?” She asked as they both sat down.  
The brunette sighed “It wasn’t great but better than while we were away”  
Janine nodded “Okay so I won’t beat around the bush, I wanted to get you in alone for three reasons, first is to see how you’re coping with everything and second is to talk through some strategies to help Gail while we adjust things” she sighed “and to apologise for not letting you know that I’d only been minimally treating her symptoms since her pregnancy was confirmed, nine out of ten women get a break from their symptoms during pregnancy. I persisted because I’d hoped she’d be one of the nine”  
Holly nodded “I understand why and telling either of us would have created expectations that now would have been for nothing” she said, letting the other woman know she agreed with her reasoning.  
“The meds I prescribed yesterday should improve things by the weekend” she explained “Now, how have you been doing with all this?”   
Holly played with her wedding ring “I’m okay, my days tend to go with hers at the moment, she has a good day, so do I, she has a bad one and as you know, I scream at my fellow doctors” she joked trying to hide what she was feeling.  
“Holly, that doesn’t really work with me when Gail does it you know” Janine said looking up from her notes.  
“What do you want me to say, it’s tiring, it’s stressful and some days I just want to go and sit in the corner and cry but right now both my wife and my unborn baby need me to be strong so I’m strong” the brunette stated “I love her so much and I just wanna help her and if I have to do that for the rest of our lives I will” she added firmly.  
“Oh I don’t doubt that statement one bit” the therapist said with a smile “Gail’s lucky to have someone like you in her life, before you were around she was quite destructive with her other relationships, I think that stemmed from her not understanding her sexuality before the PTSD but it worsened after, she put up a wall of bullshit around herself and most people didn’t want to try to get past it, even her friendships suffered” Janine stated.  
Holly smiled “I know, when we talked on the first day we met she gave me an analogy of what she was like in relationships, I knew then she was letting me peak inside the walls and I was intrigued, I think I knew then she was closeted about something and I hadn’t even considered the idea she might be gay at that point, it was only a few days later I realised that’s what it was” she said, she she grinned at the memory “She just....” she sighed happily “I knew she would be something big in my life and I was right, the road has been very bumpy but we’re here, we’re together and I’ll look after and protect her and our baby for the rest of our lives”  
“Okay so I don’t need to ask how committed you are” the therapist joked “But how are you Holly, not how are you feeling about Gail”  
“I’m good, I feel better now my boss has sorted things out. I’m looking forward to getting back into work now the pressure will be less. I’m ecstatic that Gail is 14 weeks pregnant and healthy, aside from a little episode of low blood sugar that is” the brunette said “As for how I’m handling everything, I’m doing it a day at a time and learning what to say and how to say it”   
Janine nodded “Good, that’s great” she grabbed another file off the table “okay so I want to show you a few things you can do to help her out if you need to”

0-0-0-0-0-0

“I’m home” Holly called as she came through the front door. She grabbed a few things on her way home and set the bags on the kitchen bench. She made her way into the living room to find Gail and Sophie asleep on the couch together. Gail was laying down and Sophie was laying on the blondes legs with her head resting over the small bump on Gail’s belly. She smiled and pulled out her phone, she took a few pictures and left the pair to sleep while she started cooking dinner.   
She was well on her way to getting dinner prepped and ready to cook when she turned to find Sophie rubbing her eyes “Hey Munchkin”  
The girl yawned “Hey Holly” she said and moved to her and gave her a hug.  
“Can I get in on this or is it a two person kinda thing?” A male voice said from near the front door.  
“Matt” Sophie said as she ran to him and jumped in his arms.  
“Great to see you too kiddo” he said as he caught her.  
“You haven’t been here” she stated.  
“I have my own place now” he said “I promise one day I’ll come get you and show you” he offered.  
“Okay” Sophie said “Gail’s asleep but do you wanna come and play the PlayStation with me?” She asked.  
Matt looked to Holly, who nodded “Are you staying for dinner?” She asked her brother.  
“Well, Chris is coming over too, once he’s off shift, which is in about five minutes” he said “We were going to offer to take you two out, we can make it three of course, but if your cooking....”  
The brunette shrugged “I’ve only been cutting things up so I can throw these in the refrigerator for tomorrow” she said and grabbed a container to put them in “You wanna wake sleeping beauty?” She asked him.  
“Hell no, I’m not suicidal” he stated “Come on, kiddo, I wanna show you my new truck” he said as he went outside with the young girl on his hip.  
Holly shook her head at him and walked into the living room, her wife hadn’t moved an inch, she hated waking her but she’d need to get up now to be ready to go out when Chris arrived.  
“Sweetheart” she said as she sat next to her legs on the couch. She ran her hand up her leg and rested it on her hip and gave her a small shake “Gail, Honey?” She said softly.  
“Mmmmm” the pregnant woman mumbled. She took the brunettes hand, kissed it then held it to her chest. The peace lasted about three seconds when her eyes suddenly opened “Sophie” she said quickly.  
“Honey, it’s okay, she’s outside with Matt” Holly said, her free hand on her shoulder.  
Gail sighed in relief as she relaxed back into the couch “Hey” she said and again kissed the hand she was holding.  
“Hi beautiful” the doctor said “How are you feeling?” She asked. As she leaned against her wife’s upper body.  
“A bit tired, I called Frank and he’s agreed to let me stay off until Monday” Gail explained.  
Holly tilted her head “You didn’t mention you weren’t planning on going back tomorrow” she stated, it wasn’t accusatory. She was just curious as to what changed in the last couple of hours.  
“Earlier, after you left, I was thinking about the fact you called Kira to bring Soph over so I wasn’t alone” the blonde said, she wasn’t looking at the brunette instead picking non existent lint off her sweater “And I thought maybe I should just wait until the meds kick in, I’ve given everyone a hard time lately and I just thought going back once I’m a bit more level headed might be a good idea” she explained “Plus then my rookie might live until my maternity leave” Gail added as she looked up at Holly.  
“Sounds like a great idea” The brunette agreed, she gave the blonde a quick kiss.  
“Did you say Matt was here?” Gail asked as Holly sat back up, changing the subject.  
“Yea, he and Chris decided to come take us all to dinner if your up for it” the doctor said as she ran her hand over the blondes belly.  
“Yea sounds good, since I’m sure Diaz is still on until 6 I might go shower and try to wake up a bit if that’s okay?” She asked with a yawn, resting her hand over Holly’s linking their fingers.  
“Sure sweetheart, will you be okay with me going back tomorrow?” The brunette asked.  
Gail let go of Holly’s hand and braced herself up on her elbows “I’m sure you’ll send people over to check on me during the day or you’ll drop in as much as you can so I’ll be fine” she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone and a smile on her face.  
The brunette pushed her down with a hand on her chest and started tickling her. The blonde squealed and tried to get away but Holly had her trapped “Say your sorry” she stated as she tortured her.  
“I’m sorry Baby, I’m sorry” Gail panted out  
The brunette stopped tickling her, grabbed both of the blondes hands and linked their fingers “I love you” Holly said and captured her lips in a soft passionate kiss. Gail used their joined hands to pull her wife over the top of her. As she deepened the kiss, a small body landed on top of Holly making them break apart.   
Matt laughed from the doorway, as the couple adjusted so Sophie was between them “I figured it was better for me if she handled the attack” he explained.  
Gail grabbed a cushion and threw it at him, he caught it easily, the blonde shifted, she kissed Sophie on the forehead and gave the brunette a quick kiss “I’m going to shower” she said and stood “You’ll regret that” she said seriously to her brother in law and headed up the stairs.  
“Should I be worried?” He asked.  
“Yep” Holly said simply as she got up and went into the kitchen to put away the vegetables she’d prepared for dinner. Leaving her brother to worry while he played with Sophie.

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Monday came, Gail was feeling a bit more like herself. She’d spent much of her time of looking into the classes she’d need to take to get ready for the detectives exam. As she’d explained to Holly over the weekend, she wasn’t really planning on applying for at least a couple of years but she thought maybe doing a class or two when she started her leave might be a way to alleviate boredom. They had also started to get the upstairs spare room ready for the nursery. Matt and Chris had come over on Sunday and helped them move the furniture around and put the baby things they bought into the room. They’d also found a little fountain that Gail liked and they’d set it up in their room. As it turned out they both seemed to like falling asleep to the noise.  
The blonde walked into the precinct ready to get started on the day “Stewart, how are you feeling?” Frank said as he caught up with her on the way to the equipment room.  
“Good, sorted some things out so I’m doing a lot better” she said.  
He gave her a wink “Good to hear, once you’re geared up, I’d like to see you before parade” he said as he continued down the corridor.  
“Yes sir” she said as he went. She geared up and headed towards his office, as it was shift change the bullpen was pretty empty so she hadn’t run into anyone else yet.  
“Close the door” he said as she stepped into his office “Okay, now I know it can’t be me whose in trouble, I’ve been off for over a week” she stated as she sat.  
His features softened “No it’s not you, Oliver told me you know about what happened with Swarek, since you were the one who found the link, the sex crimes detective wants you to work with her on the case”   
Gail nodded “That’s no problem, It’s good experience for Fox” she stated.  
“Thats the other thing we need to talk about, during your leave, I cut Chloe loose, Fox will be with Oliver from now and we’re getting a transfer rookie from 25” he said, he waited for her to comment but the blonde crossed her arms at him “She’s been a rookie for two months and last week her TO was killed on the job, not her fault just wrong place wrong time. She’s, not exactly coping and is head strong and..”  
“Really?” Gail asked “I’ve got ten weeks until I’m gone for a year, how the hell am I suppose to get through to her in that length of time?” The officer stopped for a few seconds, something dawned on her “Did Fox request the change?”  
“Not at all, when I discussed it with him on Friday he was pretty angry about it all and adamant that he wanted to stick with you. I just think this girl needs a harder hand than any of the other TO’s we have. You have the take no shit attitude this girl needs”  
Gail was proud of Fox for standing up to him, at least he’d learnt that he should take things laying down. She watched her boss for a minute “Okay So now I’m not only the go to for gay or rape victims I’m also suppose to help traumatised rookies” she mumbled.  
Her boss frowned “I think I need to have a talk with my detectives about that, I have noticed they request you in a lot” he said “I’m sorry, if it’s getting to you, come to me Gail, I don’t want to lose you because they’re over using you. After Swarek not turning the files over and trying to question an already traumatised victim on the rape case when he was expressly told not to, I need to keep a closer eye on things anyway. If you could at least work with the new rookie, I’d really appreciate it”   
“I’ll do it” she stated, still annoyed but she knew there wasn’t anything she could do about it, being shitty with Frank was only going to make her end up on the front desk for the day.  
“She starts tomorrow” he said handing her the younger woman’s file “If you want I can put you on the rape case with the sex crimes detective, you could shadow Traci for the day or I can just assign you a patrol area”  
The blonde thought about it for a few beats “I might see where things are on the rape case if that’s okay?” She asked.  
He nodded “Yea I’ll let Detective Capello know, she actually wanted to talk to you anyway since you were the one who gave them the gym angle”   
“Yea that’s fine, I’m cleared to work normally by my OB/GYN so I can do any running around she needs” she explained.  
Frank nodded then looked at his watch “Alright, I’ll let you go to parade, I’ll be in there in a minute” he said and picked up the phone.   
The blonde left, Holly would be happy she said something about the cases and victims the detectives were calling on her help with especially after the argument with Swarek. She shot a quick text to her wife then headed to the parade room.

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Ps I got a message from a guest that I can’t answer about fic ideas. I can’t reply to guests so you’ll need to message from an account. Thanks. Hope you enjoyed this, plenty more to come.


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